Destined to happen
by freakyfanficgirl
Summary: Sequel to the Uchiha sister. Two and a half years have passed since Tukiko has come back to Konoha. She is one of the top ninjas there is but her life is screwed. Her brothers are criminals and she is expected to kill her boyfriend...More inside.
1. New mission

Summary: Tukiko's life isn't going as well as she thought. Two and a half years ago, she returned to Konoha in hopes of being a kunoichi. She has fulfilled her dream and broke the wedding contract set up with her ex-finace-now-best friend. She has jumped through the ranks of the ninjas more than anyone expected her to be and became one of the top ninjas there was. She thought her life was good but it wasn't. Both of her brothers are criminals and one of them is trying to kill the other. Her boyfriend had joined an organization she is supposed to kill on sight. More troubles are approaching and Tukiko doesn't know what to do. What _is_ she going to do?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! I own Tukiko though!

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 1

In the wild forest near the Grass country, a lone figure jumped through the trees. The leaves barely rustled as the figure landed on each branch before jumping to the next. With the cover of the trees, a ninja could barely tell who the person was running. If one were to look closer all they would see would be a flash of black and grey. The person did not let up their running. They were running late as it was and they needed to be there on time.

_Stupid Hokage, telling me to go on yet another mission when I'm not even home!_ The person thought angerily, their charka bursting slightly as they stomped on another branch. It almost broke within contact. They were mad as it was! They had just finished a hard mission as it was! They couldn't go on another one! The person moved a hand across silky black locks that were long. It flowed down her back like a black curtain shadowing a pale moon. This indicated that the person was a girl. _When I get home, I'm going to kill her!_

The girl gave a silent sigh through the white porcelin mask on her face. The mask was strange unto itself. It had the two usual eye holes meant for every mask but right beside the eye holes, two elegant swirls danced and swirled until it turned to above the eye holes. Where the mouth was supposed to be, there was a small beak. The whole mask resembled that of a bird's. The girl barely noticed the mask on her face nor could she feel the wind whipping around her. This didn't bother the girl at all. Her clothes were strange as well. She wore a black neck turtle sleeveless shirt with a grey armor over it and black matching pants. On her forearms were grey armguards. Because the shirt was sleeveless, there was a distinct black spiral tatto on her right shoulder. With the evidence of the porcelin animal mask, her clothes, and the tattoo, all of this signaled that the girl was indeed a member of the ANBU. An ANBU of Konohagakure to be exact.

The girl abruptedly stopped on a tree branch, cocking her head to the side. She could sense four chakra signatures now that she stopped. Three of them were very familiar to her while one she did not. Of one of the three signatures it felt like there was more to it than that. There also seemed to be a second chakra hiding behind that first one. She smirked to herself.

_Found him. _Before the girl took off towards the chakra, she caught herself and remembered something. _Oh, shoot! I can't go like this! I have to use my real identity for this mission._

With that being thought, the girl jumped down to the ground where there were bushes to hide her. Once in the safety of the bushes, the girl took out a scroll from her pack. She opened the scroll to reveal black markings, and bit down one of her thumbs. The blood rushed to the surface quickly. She swiped her thumb across the paper when smoke exploded out the scroll. The smoke cleared to reveal a black and white battle kimono with a blood red sash. The sleeves reached past her fingertips should she put it on. There was also black fingerless armguards. Printed on the back of the kimono was a red and white uchiwa fan. Along with the clothes there came a katana that was as strange as the girl herself. Intricte red lightning marks jagged their way from the hilt to the guard. The blade was jagged as well, shaped like a lightning bolt. Now that these items were out, the girl quickly stripped herself of her ANBU clothes and changed into her regular outfit.

A few minutes later, all of the girl's clothes were on with her katana secured with a sash just behind her and her ANBU clothes were in a scroll. To put a few finishing touches to her appearance, the girl took off her mask to reveal startling onyx eyes. She placed her mask inside of her scroll pouch then took out a white ribbon-like cloth with a metal plate on it. On the plate was the symbol of Konoha standing out proudly. The girl wrapped the cloth around her forehead, the ribbon ends getting knotted securely. For her last finishing touch, the girl tied her hair up so that it would not get in the way. Now that she was all ready and done, the girl could begin her mission.

_Well, I won't be going in as Swallow, the ruthless ANBU member, on this mission. It's been so long since the real me has been out on a mission. _The girl smirked. _Well, this is going to be fun._

Tukiko Uchiha left with that smirk on her face as she ran towards the sources of those four chakra signatures.

---

Two days later, Tukiko arrived at a red bridge named the Tenchi bridge. This was where her new mission was supposed to be at. She hid in the shadows of the trees, masking her chakra. She stood close to the bridge but not too close. From her position, she could see everything that was going on and yet not hear anything. The wind howling all around her made it too difficult to do that. She bit her lip.

_Where are they? Tsunade-sama told me that they were supposed to be here so where...?_

She let go of her lip as she noticed a figure at one end of the bridge. The figure wore a cloak, masking their identity. Her eyes narrowed. Was this guy the target? Although she knew that she should make a move, she waited patiently for the people she was looking for. Her patience was awarded but not by the way she figured. At the other end of the bridge, a man with a black cloak with a red cloud pattern started walking towards the center. He had a hunched back as well. Tukiko gasped, noticing the man.

_Wait a second...Isn't that...?_

Tukiko wanted to jump in right now but still had not made a move. She watched as the man with the black cloak on raised his hand up in a thumbs up. When that thumbs up came, two figures came running out of the bushes. One of them attacked the cloaked figure head on. The person who Tukiko thought was the target dodged all of the attacks and started to run away. This was when Tukiko reacted.

_They're not getting away that easily!_ She growled. She jumped down from her position in the trees where the person was starting to run. She landed on the ground and quickly tackled the cloacked person to the ground. The person, a male, gasped as he was tackled to the ground. Tukiko pinned him to the ground, smirking. _Hah! Got him!_

That was not the case. Instead of seeing the surprised unfamiliar face that she should have seen, Tukiko was instead met with the surprised face of someone she did know. It was a man with spikey brown hair and a metal head plate with the Konoha symbol on it. The man opened his eyes, surprised to see Tukiko on top of him. "Tukiko-sama, what are you doing here?" he asked in a surprised tone.

"_T-Tenzo-senpai...?" _Tukiko felt her face flush red with embarrassment. Uh-oh! This wasn't the target! It was one of the people she was supposed to meet up with.

"Hey, who the heck are you!?" A loud obnoxious voice Tukiko remembered very well. She looked up to see angry blue eyes and blond hair that was like sunshine. She blinked at the boy, her mouth going into a smirk. The boy became angered by the smirk. "I'm asking you a question!"

Tukiko let out a silent laugh. Even after all these years, he was still the same. She turned her attention back to Yamato and quickly got off of him. She brushed the dirt off of her dress before helping Yamato up. Yamato brushed off the dirt on his pants while staring at Tukiko. She smiled in embarrassment.

"_S-Sorry, Tenzo-senpai. I thought you were the target,"_ she said with sign language.

Yamato shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Tukiko-sama. That is a mistake many of us have made before."

She frowned. "_Yeah but it doesn't happen to me that often."_

"Well, that is true."

"Y-Yamato, d-did you say T-Tukiko?" The blond haired boy stuttered with wide eyes. He was staring at Tukiko startled. "A-As in T-Tukiko U-Uchiha?"

Tukiko giggled silently again. _Same old Naruto to be the last one to recognize things._

"Tukiko-chan!" There was a squeal in the air and Tukiko suddenly found herself being hugged to death. The air was knocked out of her as two arms wrapped around her. All Tukiko saw was cherry blossom pink hair to know who it was. "I haven't seen you in so long! It's been nearly three months!"

Tukiko winced as Sakura hugged her tighter. Although she could take on the most tough opponent, the only thing she couldn't handle was Sakura's choke hugs. She could barely breath. Seeing as how she couldn't move her hands, she moved her lips instead.

"_S-Sakura...hurting me!"_

Sakura read the girl's lips then quickly let go of the girl. Tukiko collapsed on the ground, taking a huge gulp of air. Sakura laughed nervously.

"I-I'm sorry, Tukiko-chan. You know how I tend to get when I haven't seen you in so long," she apologized.

"_N-No, it's okay. Just give me a second to get my lungs to work and I'll be fine." _Tukiko winced again. Sakura and her may have become close and almost like sisters over the two and a half years they've known each other but her hugs still hurt. All of the training that she did with Tsunade was going to kill her one day if Sakura kept learning from that woman. Tukiko finally got her lungs to work and stood to her feet. She smiled. "_There, I'm fine."_

"Can someone please tell me if that's Tukiko-chan or not!?" Naruto yelled so loud that half the country could hear him. Sakura resisted the urge to punch him but repressed herself. Though she did chew him out for it.

"Naruto, stop shouting! It is Tukiko-chan, all right? Jeez, he's so loud," Sakura muttered that last part to herself. Tukiko giggled again.

"T-Tukiko-chan?" Naruto scanned Tukiko, making sure that it was really her. In his opinion, Tukiko looked nothing like that girl he met when he was twelve. Before, he only saw Tukiko as a girl who could be like a brother to him than a sister. Her looking like a boy helped with that. But now that he saw her, all of those thoughts of her being a brother to him were thrown out the window. Now at the age of fifteen, Tukiko looked more like a girl than he would have ever thought! "Is that really you?"

Tukiko nodded with a grin on her face. She also noted that Naruto had a pink tinge across his cheeks when she smiled. She lifted her hand in a wave.

"_Hey, Naruto. Long time no see!"_

Naruto raised an eyebrow when Tukiko's lips moved but no sound came out. He knew what she said because Ero-sennin taught him how to lip read. If he could lip read then he could understand what people from far away were saying. But why wasn't Tukiko speaking?

"Tukiko-chan, is there something wrong with your throat? Why aren't there any sounds coming out?" he asked.

Tukiko's grin dropped as well as her hand. Her eye began to twitch as she closed her eyes. She folded her arms in a huff.

"_That's the first thing you say to me after two and a half years? No hug or even 'it's been so long?'" _Tukiko scoffed, scowling. "_How many times are you going to convince me that you have changed but then change my mind when you go back to your old habits?"_ She sighed. "_I'm mute to answer your question."_

Naruto gaped at Tukiko. Mute? How could she be mute? When did this happen?

"_It happened around the time that you left the village to train." _She opened her eyes, her expression becoming softer. "_I haven't spoken a word since you and everyone tried to get him back." _Tukiko's eye's became the color of night as she turned her gaze to Naruto. They narrowed considerably. "_Don't you dare start to say that you feel sorry for me. I hate it when people do that."_

"It's true, Naruto. Tukiko doesn't like to be pitited," Sakura interjected. She smiled sadly at Tukiko. She, in, return stuck her nose up, scowling. She hated it when Sakura or anyone else mentioned that stupid event that made her mute. It just irritated her to no end. "She's just fine being mute, though I would like to hear her voice again."

Naruto did feel sorry for Tukiko. She had lost her voice right about the time that he failed to bring Sasuke home. The last words she had ever spoken was that promise to give Sasuke her bracelet. He was able to keep that promise but failed to keep Sakura's promise. At this, he felt so guilty.

Tukiko suddenly brightened up, smiling happily as if they didn't have a depressing conversation. "_Enough about that stuff. Can I ask who in the world that guy is right there?"_ She tilted her head over to the pale teenager that stood right by Yamato. When he was mentioned, said person smiled. She saw through the smile. It was fake.

"My name is Sai. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tukiko." He bowed then straightened up.

"_Hey. My name is Tukiko Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you too."_ Tukiko smiled as usual. This was how she acted with any fellow Konohagakure ninja. It was also a constant habit. When she was very little until she was six, Tukiko had taken noble and ladylike lessons that would teach her how to be the perfect housewife. This was to prepare her for the marriage that she once had when she would turn sixteen. When Tukiko found out about this, she left the village after her sixth birthday party. Even now, at the age of fifteen, she still took to her manners.

Sai still had his smile up as he said, "So your name is Tukiko Uchiha, right? Your fake smile is so real that I can barely tell if it's fake or not."

Tukiko's smile dropped as she stared at Sai in confusion. What was he talking about? She wasn't fake smiling. Now that she mentioned it, Tukiko could never tell the difference if she was smiling fakely or not. It was like she used the same smile for everyone. She would have to talk about this with Sakura later.

"You know, I never figured that Uchihas would even smile so easily in the first place. By what I've heard of Sasuke Uchiha, he was the perfect example of one who would not smile," Sai continued. "I suppose that I could be wrong since that smile is fake. Are you anything like your brother?"

"What did you say?!" Naruto yelled. He grabbed the fabric of Sai's shirt, glaring at him. "Tukiko is nothing like Sasuke! She is a different person from him!"

"Well, Sasuke was a traitor while Tukiko is still in the village so I suppose that means they are different."

Naruto glared at Sai more fiercely. He was shaking with anger. Tukiko and Sakura thought that he would punch Sai or something but all he did was shove Sai away from him. Then he turned his back on him. "I will never consider you a companon or a member of Team Kakashi," he said.

Yamato sighed. "This is getting pointless."

"So you still consider Sasuke a companion? Even after he betrayed the village, you still refer him as your friend?" Sai asked curiously.

Naruto glanced over at Sai, the hatred and anger in his eyes. "If it's to help my friend, I would do anything. Even work with you." He walked away over to the trees.

Tukiko stared at the ground after hearing what Sasuke's best friend had to say. She hated that Naruto was hurting as badly as she was when it came to Sasuke. Naruto was like a brother to Sasuke and Tukiko. If he was hurting then she was too. Why did Sasuke have to hurt them and scar them so badly? She sighed.

_Sometimes I wish that Sasuke never left..._

"Tukiko-sama." Tukiko was brought out of her depressing thoughts. She lifted her head to Yamato. "I didn't get a chance to ask this but why are you here?"

"_Oh, I'm here to help out on your mission, of course," _she said as plain as day. "_From now on, I shall assist you in the capture of the Akatsuki spy stationed in Orochimaru's force." _She growled at the next thing. "_And I'm here to retrieve that traitor of a brother if possible."_

Yamato's face fell. "You're the one that Tsunade-sama said that would come help?"

She nodded. Truth was, she didn't want to do this mission since it involved two things: Orochimaru and Sasuke. She hated Orochimaru and strongly disliked Sasuke. Both of these things together infuriated her. It wasn't like she had a choice in her missions, either. She couldn't refuse this.

He sighed. "I have a feeling that this mission just grew more hetic."

Indeed it would.

---

There's the first chapter of _Destined to happen!_ I already had this done a few weeks ago when I finished making the chapters of the Uchiha sister. I don't know if this story is going to be as good as the first but we'll just have to see.

That's pretty much it so review please!


	2. Tenchi bridge

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own the fabulous Tukiko though.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 2

The next day, Team Kakashi plus Tukiko had finally reached the real Tenchi Bridge (yesterday, Tukiko learned that the other one was fake). Naruto, Sai, Sakura, and Tukiko were currently away from the bridge but closely nearby, hiding behind a rock. They waited as Yamato dressed as a deceased Akatsuki member, Sasori, walked to the bridge. On the bridge a figure waited.

Tukiko bit her lips, anxious to capture this person. She had to wait for Yamato's signal since he was team leader. Yesterday, Yamato had told her the full details of their mission and plan. The plan was to pose as Sasori so that they could speak with his spy about the whereabouts of Orochimaru. Then, if possible, they woudl capture the spy. It sounded simple enough but they had no idea whether this person would be difficult to capture. It would also be hard to bring him back alive.

The four teenagers watched as Yamato confronted the figure. Tukiko, Naruto, and Sakura gasped with surprise when they saw none other than Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand man and lackey. They all knew Kabuto pretty well as the one who had decieved them. But they had no idea that he was the Akatsuki spy!

"Him again...!" Naruto hissed.

"I had no idea that him of all people would be the spy," Sakura whispered. Tukiko nodded in agreement.

She tried to strain her ears to hear the conversation that the two would be having. The wind was howling too feircely to carry any noises and they were too far away to read their lips. She cursed silently.

_If only I could see what they were saying..._

If only she could move closer but they couldn't. Their sounds and scents were covered by the wind. That was why they chose that exact spot.

"What is he waiting for?! Why doesn't he just go with the capture already!?" Naruto hissed impatiently. Sakura and Tukiko were becoming impatient as well but they would never admit it.

"This is Kabuto we're talking about here," Sakura said to him. "If we were to let him get away then things would obviously end there."

_"Taking things very carefully is what Yamato needs to do,"_ Tukiko mouthed to Naruto. She learned from experiance that they could never be too careful.

"Still...If he takes things more carefully than he needs to and ends up arousing suspicion, then he'll lose his chance to capture the target," Sai also mentioned. Tukiko knew that as well. Being too cautious could blow your cover before you could finish your mission.

The four looked back at the scene, watching it unfold. After a few more words, Yamato had taken out a kunai to take out Kabuto. Another event happened that made the anger within Tukiko rise to a great level. Naruto gasped, "Orochimaru!"

Tukiko felt her body shake in anger. Her eyes almost bled red but she resisted the urge to pull out her Sharingan. At times of great anger, Tukiko would always activate her Sharingan. It happened all the time so she had to learn how to control her anger. This time, however, it was becoming difficult not to activate it. It was Orochimaru for crying out loud! This was the guy that had bit her twice in her lifetime and the man that Sasuke left to for power. When he left, Tukiko almost died! Sasuke would never have left if Orochimaru was there to tempt him into the power. She bit her lip almost painfully. She hated Orochimaru more than she hated sweets.

"What do we do now?!" Naruto asked, feeling the same way as Tukiko.

Sakura sighed in frustration. "We have to wait for the captain's signal. We can't just jump in!"

He pounded his fist on the rock, gritting his teeth. "We can't wait! We have to help him!"

Luckily, they didn't have to wait any longer for the signal because Yamato made it. He was out of the puppet and out in the open now. The jig was up. At the signal, the four jumped towards the bridge and landed in front of Yamato, facing Orochimaru and Kabuto. Tukiko knelt on one knee, one hand on the handle of her katana as her eyes finally bleed red. The three tomoes in her eyes swirled dangerously around the pupil, anticipating to be used.

Orochimaru chuckled at the sight of Tukiko. "Well, well. If it isn't Tukiko-chan. You've certainly grown." She growled, her eyes narrowing. That only made Orochimaru smirk. "Your eyes are finally fully developed just like Sasuke-kun's though his is far more supioer compared to yours." He turned to Naruto now. "I wonder who is stronger: You or Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto growled furiously. Red chakra started to swirl around him. Tukiko's anger decipated at the hostility that Naruto possessed. "Give Sasuke back!"

Kabuto chuckled. "There is no giving back. Sasuke-kun came to us on his own free will. You just need to get over it."

"Shut up, four eyes! You know nothing about Naruto or his feelings!" Sakura screamed at them. "I've had enough of your cold attitude!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "If you want to know about Sasuke-kun, why don't you try forcing it out of me? If you can that is..."

Naruto growled once more before he lunged at Orochimaru. Tukiko had to cover her eyes from being blown away by his speed. She saw with one eye as Naruto hit Orochimaru with one red claw shaped chakra. Orochimaru was sent flying into the trees. Her eye widened. The chakra around Naruto looked familiar. She opened both her eyes to see red chakra enveloped his whole body. The chakra formed a fox cloak. It bubbled dangerously. Tukiko's eyes widened to saucer plates as she finally recognized that kind of chakra.

_No...Naruto....Naruto is a Jinchuuriki as well?! _Over her lifetime, Tukiko has met about four jinchuriki hosts of the Bijuu. Two she met in Kumo, one she met during her travels when she was younger, and the Shukaku jinchuriki, Gaara. All of them were very lonely since there villages rejected them for what they held inside of them. It wasn't like it was their fault though. They had those demons sealed within them. But when Tukiko met them, she usually became their friends. Three of them she had not seen in a long time but Gaara was the only one she saw usually. Gaara was like her best friend now when he learned that she had nothing against the jinchuuriki. Right now, she couldn't believe her eyes. How could one of her friends be a jinchuuriki as well? How could she not have known? _No wonder Naruto is so desperate to get back Sasuke..._

Back when she was twelve, Tukiko always questioned why Naruto would cling to the bond between Sasuke and him so despeartely. Sasuke was a traitor. Even she, his own twin sister, had given up on him. So why had Naruto clinged to that bond? She now understood. Naruto clinged to it because it was the first bond he ever had. This was the first time he felt like he had a family. By what Kakashi told her, Naruto lived a very lonely life because of being a Jinchuuriki, trying hard to be recognized by the villagers and his peers. No one noticed him until Sasuke. That was why he clinged to that bond.

Tukiko must have not been paying attention more than she should have. She only vaguely listened as Orochimaru came out of the trees as if nothing happened. Then he started to say that Yamato was one of his past experiments from when he was still in Konoha. Yamato was the lone survivor of an experiment that would make children have the DNA of the First Hokage. Orochimaru had thought that all of them died since the babies' bodies rejected the DNA and died. He was proved wrong by Yamato. She started to pay attention as the air became heavier and more sinister from a chakra. She snapped out of it and shivered. Her eyes focused on Naruto. She bit her lip as she noticed that instead of one tail, he now had three.

_Oh god...Even though Naruto's a jinchuuriki, I've never been more frightened than this! Not even from Yugito or Gaara! It's more powerful as well and it's not even his full tails!_

For the millionth time in her life, Tukiko was frightened all the way to being immobile. This was even scarier than Yugito ever was!

She watched as Kabuto had tried to charge at Naruto with a chakra scalepl. It was in vain. Naruto had let out a huge burst of his chakra and blew back Kabuto, Sakura, and Tukiko in the process. Kabuto had landed back in the forests behind them while Tukiko had landed on the bridge hard. She landed on her side, feeling the bloody scraps that would be on one side of her body later on. She winced, trying to sit up. But as she sat up, she started to feel the bridge rumble and shake. Now that part of the bridge had been destroyed, the bridge could no longer hold itself up. The side of the bridge she was on had started to fall apart. She gasped as she saw Sakura sliding down to the bottom.

"_Sakura-chan!"_ Forgetting all about her body, Tukikko dived down for Sakura's limp hand. Sakura was close to the very edge now. Tukiko used her chakra to stick her to the falling bridge as she grabbed Sakura's hand and threw her up to Yamato. Yamato caught Sakura. She was safe. The same could not be said for Tukiko. When she had grabbed Sakura, the bridge had finally disconnected with the rest. Tukiko was free falling down the cliff.

"Tukiko-sama!" Yamato yelled from up on the bridge.

Tukiko closed her eyes, feeling the tears gather on the edges of her eyes. So this was it. There was no way she could survive a fall from that height all the way to the bottom. She was done for. Or so she thought. Tukiko felt the air around her stop as something latched onto one of her ankles. Then instead of falling downwards, she felt the wind go upwards.

_What the?!_ She opened her onyx eyes to see the trees below her now. How did she...? She looked tilted her head down so that she could look up to see an ink like bird had latched a claw on her ankle. On top of the bird was Sai. She let out a sigh of relief. _Thank god! I have to stop thinking that I'm going to die when I'm not._

Now that she knew that Sai had caught her before she fell, Tukiko swung her body so that she could grab onto the bird's leg. Wretching her ankle from the claw, she climbed onto the bird's back with the help of Sai. Once safely on the bird, Tukiko smiled at Sai. "_Thanks for helping me. I really could have died there."_

Sai did not smile back. Instead, he only said, "I'm sorry for what I must do to you."

Tukiko felt her smile disappear as she realized what Sai meant. Sai reached over to her shoulder and she was about to pull back when he pressed the pressure point on her shoulder. She gave a silent cry of pain as darkness edged her eyes. She gave into the darkness.

---

_Fourteen year old Tukiko sat one sunny day on the top of her home roof. She was curled up in a ball, her face in her lap. She was sobbing quietly, her tears staining her outfit. She was crying because of both the day and the pain. It was the day that Sasuke left the village and Naruto and the rest of them failed to bring him back. Tukiko didn't really care for the day herself since she had strongly disliked Sasuke now. For some reason though, she had felt like crying so she sat on top of her home to cry or let out the random tears. She didn't want to be stuck in a dark room when she was crying on the day that Sasuke left._

_Why was she crying in the first place? She didn't want to cry over something as silly as this. It just depressed her to do so. But something told her that something was making her sad and her heartache. Maybe she was crying because of the pain in her heart? She just didn't know._

_"Tukiko-chan?" Tukiko lifted up her head to see her long time boyfriend, Deidara. He sat next to her, frowning at her tears. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"_

_Tukiko shook her head. Deidara was persistant about her wellbeing. He worried that she was hurt. He pulled her into a hug and made her sit in his lap. She nestled her head on the crook of his neck, sobbing. "Please tell me what's wrong, Kiko-chan. You know I don't like seeing your tears."_

_Tukiko sniffled, looking up into his blue eyes. Her lips mouthed, "_I don't know why I'm crying. I feel like I should be sad because of what today is."

_"You mean it being the day that your brother left right?" he asked in a low tone. He still hated the fact that her twin brother had hurt her to the point to where she almost died and left her mute._

_She nodded. "_And the scar on my shoulder is burning too." _Her eyes flickered to her left shoulder, underneath the tanktop strap. Underneath the strap was a scar that had taken the shape of her half of the curse mark. It had appeared when her half was stolen by Sasuke so that he could have the full version of the curse mark. The scar tended to burn slightly when she overexhausted her chakra. It was burning more than when she overexhausted her chakra right now._

_Deidara reached a hand over to her left shoulder, slipping the strap down her shoulder slightly so that he could see the scar. Tukiko was surprised as he leaned his head down to her shoulder/neck. She turned red as Deidara kissed it. The feeling of his soft, cold lips on her burning scar was soothing to her and a gasp left her. He brought his head back up to her face to capture her lips in a kiss. At the same time, he wiped away her tears with his thumb. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers._

_"Tukiko, I know why you're crying. As much as you say you hate Sasuke right now, you still miss him, hm," he said to her._

_Tukiko let out a sob. She hated to admit it but Deidara was right. Her head told her to hate Sasuke but her heart told her that she could never hate her brother and missed him. When Sasuke left, it felt like a part of her had gone missing. Everytime she thought about anything that related to her brother, her heart gave a pang of hurt. It was only worse on this day._

_"Stop crying," Deidara ordered her gently. "Even if you don't have Sasuke, you have me, yeah. You know that Itachi is there for you too. Forget about Sasuke."_

_Tukiko nodded, wrapping her arms around Deidara's neck. She felt like she was lying to herself. She did understand and wanted to forget about Sasuke to move on with her life. But her heart wouldn't let her. She was torn between love for her boyfriend and her older brother and the hate/love to her twin brother. What should she choose?_

_---_

Voices started to sound through Tukiko's ears. She began to gain back consiousness but kept her breathing even. She didn't want to alert those that captured her that she was awake now. Her gaining consiousness didn't alert those around her. That meant she could freely listen to the conversation around her.

"Kabuto, save that for later for when he get back," said the voice of one Orochimaru. She didn't let out a gasp but it was a mental one. Orochimaru? Don't tell her that she was captured by him _again._ This was the second time! How could she let herself get caught again?

_Well, it _is_ Sai's fault. That stupid jerk knocked me out._ Tukiko growled mentally. She thought that she could trust Sai! How could he do that to her!? _Just goes to show I should stop trusting people._

"On a different note, Orochimaru-sama," she heard Kabuto say. "What kind of blade is Tukiko-chan's katana?'

Orochimaru chuckled. The sound of a blade being unsheathed sounded the air. "I dare say that it is different from most blades I have seen. The shape and the way this blade was made tells me that it was made just for lightning attacks. Isn't that right, Tukiko-chan?"

_Dang it! He noticed! Stupid Sannin of a snake..._

Tukiko knew that the jig was up. She opened her eyes to see that she was sitting in an upright position. She was also tied up in what she guessed were chakra wires. Her cold eyes hardened as she saw Orochimaru not that far from her, weilding her katana. She growled. How dare Orochimaru even _touch_ what was hers! That katana was speical to her. How dare he touch it!? She wanted to scream all of this at Orochimaru but couldn't. She didn't want to let that snake know that she was mute. Instead, she glared at the hand that weilded her weapon.

"Don't be so mad, Tukiko-chan. I'm only looking." Orochimaru sheathed the sword back but didn't give it back to her. Instead, he held onto it. She let out a sielnt growl. She was going to kill him. He smirked at her. "You won't have this back until we get back to the base."

Tukiko bit her lip, eyes narrowing. Was Orochimaru saying what she thought he was saying?

Kabuto walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. He smirked as well. Right now she felt like rolling her eyes. Does every guy she knew smirk alot or was it just her?

"Yes, Tukiko-chan. We are going to bring you back to the base. Now that you're awake, you have a choice. I can either let you go but you must not attack us or we can just carry you there. Which one?"

_What? No other choices?_

What kind of choices were that? She would choose neither of them and get the hell out of there. Then she thought of her mission. She had to get to Orochimaru's base somehow and this was the easiest way to get there. She nodded her head for the first one. Her Uchiha pride was important to her. She would rather still have it instead of losing it to being carried.

"Good answer." Kabuto used a kunai to get through the chakra wires. The wires fell to the ground, useless. Now that she was free, Tukiko rubbed her wrists from where they were tied. She stood to her feet, not caring for the three traitors that were around her. "Well then, let's get going shall we? The base is just a little father off."

The four started to make their way back towards Orochimaru's base. Tukiko stayed in the back of the group so that she wouldn't be behind them. From what she learned, she could never trust enemies when she was in front of them. She glared her famous Uchiha death glare at their backs. She wished that she could kill all of them now (preferably Orochimaru). It wasn't possible since this was the only way to get to the base.

_It's for the mission, it's for the mission, it's for the mission._

She chanted this in her head so that she could avoid killing any of them. Being an ANBU, the mission mattered more than her life itself. She had to think of the mission before anything else. Plus she had to set examples for any ANBU or ninja for that matter. The mission mattered but not as much as their comrades. Comrades mattered too.

The landscape changed from a river setting to a rocky setting. Mountains of rocks and wastelands surrounded them. They stopped at the largest rock. Orochimaru made a handseal and the rock started to shift open. Tukiko peeked past Orochimaru to see stairs that lead down, down, down towards the darkness. She gulped slightly. If there was one thing Tukiko was afraid of the most, it was underground places.

As unbelieveable as it sounded, Tukiko Uchiha was afraid of underground places. It was a constant fear she had since she was fourteen. She had gone on a mission in the Fire country to capture some A-ranked criminal ninjas that were threatening one of the villages near the border. She had gone by herself to go catch the criminal. When she had encountered the ninja, she expected it to be an easy fight. She was dead wrong. The ninja turned out to be an earth type ninja and he could trap his enemies under the ground. Tukiko didn't know this until the guy used a jutsu on her that trapped her deep underground. It was dark and small and it was hard for her to breathe. For nearly half a day she was stuck under there. She couldn't cry out for help since she was mute and the criminal had left her there. It wasn't until late at night when Neji found her. He was sent to go look for her after another Konoha ninja caught the criminal and she was nowhere in sight. When Tukiko had gotten out of the hole, she did not let go of Neji, not even when they arrived back in Konoha. Neji had to carry her bridal style since Tukiko wouldn't move. Ever since then, she was afraid of underground places.

"Is something the matter, Tukiko-chan?" Kabuto asked her. He noticed the shiver that went through the girl's body. She shook her head. She didn't want them to know that she had a fear of being underground. "Then let's go."

Kabuto, Orochimaru, and Sai started down the dark steps. Tukiko was reluctant to follow but forced herself to. Each step she took leading underground, the more shaky her steps back. Her hand gripped her Uchiha charm on her neck tightly, keeping her hands steady. When at the last step, Tukiko had to close her eyes from freaking out. The darkness only reminded her to what it had been like down in that small hole. Orochimaru didn't notice that Tukiko was freaking out.

They walked through the dark candlelit halls and towards one room. Before they entered the room, Orochimaru pulled out Tukiko's katana and threw it to her. With her ninja senses on hyper mode (she had depended on her ears to hear it), she had caught the weapon with her eyes closed. She didn't want to open her eyes only to freak out from it being dark and underground. She hugged the weapon in a way where it was like a security blanket to her. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in amusement but said nothing. The group just continued on until they came to the doorway of the room. During all of this, Tukiko had to depend on her other senses to guide her. She froze when she felt a slightly familiar chakra.

_No...It couldn't be him....could it?_

_----_

Haha! My infamous cliffhangers are back! There is no way that these will die because they just leave off at the juicy parts. If you want to know more, review please!

On a whole different note, I should tell you guys that I'm in love with a new story on fanfiction! What's it called? It's called _Remembering what was forgotten_ by Twilit angel. I just love that story! If you're a fan of Sasuke, check it out. It's kinda different from what I usually read. It's about Sasuke losing his memory after the Uchiha massacre and he ends up in the real dimension. The weird part is that he's obsessed with _Naruto_ and he doesn't think he's Sasuke Uchiha. Then he and his friend end up in the Naruto world! I don't want to tell you guys the rest so if you think it's interesting, check it out!

That's it so please review!


	3. Twins reunite

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 3

"...You're late," said an equally, scarily familiar voice. Tukiko shivered from both that voice and being underground. "Weren't you supposed to teach me a new jutsu this afternoon, Orochimaru?"

"Talking rude like that again," Kabuto muttered. Tukiko somewhat agreed with Kabuto. He should be more polite to people who are older and more wiser than him. She lost that train of thought as she flinched as a rock fell in the room.

"Don't be so angry," Orochimaru said. "Instead, I brought two little presents for you today. Both are shinobi from Konoha just like you though the boy you do not recognize. You guys should exchange some nostalgic stories of home, right?"

"How do you do? My name is Sai," said Sai. Tukiko could tell that he was fake smiling right here. "So you're Sasuke Uchiha-"

"Get lost."

Tukiko rolled her mental eyes. Could Sasuke be more the same than when he was two and a half years ago? Even she herself changed alot from that thirteen year old girl she once was.

"It seems I'm the type of person people don't like one way or another even if I try to make a smile," Sai kept saying. Did he ever learn when he should stop talking? "Just recently, Naruto-kun also expressed his dislike towards me. But I get the feeling I'll be able to get along better with you compared to Naruto."

Tukiko wasn't sure what happened next. She felt a chakra shift in the room before there was a loud noise (in her mind). Tukiko gave a silent scream. Then she slightly curled up in a ball, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew that she was showing fear when she shouldn't-she was an Uchiha for crying out loud! But even as an Uchiha, she never was good at concealing her emotions. Being underground just made her more freaked out and more open to her emotions.

"It's probably not a good idea to joke around with Sasuke-kun too much," Orochimaru said. "He's more troublesome than I am, you see."Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw that Tukiko had curled up slightly and knew that she was shaking in fear by the shivers on her body. He just took it the wrong way with a different fear in mind.

"So where's that second present, Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked with dull tone.

"She's right here." Orochimaru pointed down at the cowering Tukiko. He chuckled at the sight of her. "It seems that she is more afraid of you than I supposedly thought."

Tukiko would have retorted that she was more afraid of _Naruto_ of all people than she would ever be towards Sasuke. Her twin brother was not scary! But her stupid fear of being underground kept her immobile. But just then, the scar on her shoulder began to burn as hot as fire. She winced at the pain, getting out of her position to fall fully to the ground. Her hands let go of her katana as her right hand made it's way to the scar on her shoulder. The katana made a loud clang that rattled through the room.

_Shoot! Why...Why is it burning?_ Tukiko didn't overexhaust her chakra! Hell, she barely used it! So why...? She winced again. _Dang it, it hurts!_

She felt a hand touch her own and Tukiko snapped from there. She slapped away the hand, opening her blood red eyes to glare at Kabuto. He had gone over to see what was wrong with her. He gave a slight shiver as the red eyes glared at him more coldly than Sasuke's ever had.

"_Touch me and you'll lose your hand faster than a candle going out," _she hissed through her pain. She winced again. Stupid scar! She thought that after the curse mark was gone, she would be free from all that pain! Her body was so screwed up now. She couldn't talk and she had a scar that would burn. Really weird in her opinion.

"Hn. So you brought her here." Tukiko turned her gaze to the right only to find a pair of feet in front of her. She instinctively looked up, going higher and higher. She saw the black pants with the purple bow on it then a white yukata like shirt that opened at the chest. She stopped at the pale face that was very similar to her own. The only difference was that it was more colder than hers would ever be.

"I thought that you would like to see your twin sister again after so long, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said to his student. "By what I remember, you two were very close. Call it a family reunion."

Tukiko rolled her eyes, dropping her hand. The burning had gone down slightly to where it was bareable. _Yeah right. If this was a family reunion, Aniki would be here. _Then_ it's a family reunion. Either that or a battle royale. _

"Hn." Sasuke only stared at Tukiko. Tukiko had deactivated her Sharingan, reading Sasuke's eyes herself. She was entirely confused when he saw his eyes. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. Tukiko could read people just by looking at their eyes. So when she stared into Sasuke's eyes, she saw the same guilt and sadness and maybe a tinge of joy that Itachi had when they met after all those years. That was confusing. She thought that Sasuke could care less about her? She was more than surprised when Sasuke swiftly picked her up bridal-style. Tukiko faintly noticed that their faces may have been the same, but their bodies weren't anymore. Sasuke had become more muscular whereas Tukiko had grown more feminine. Sasuke turned his back on Orochimaru and the rest only saying, "She stays in my room. Touch her and I'll kill you." Then he vanished.

Tukiko was too caught up in her surprise to notice that they had appeared in some strange room. It wasn't very strange. It was just a simple room with a bed, a desk, and a candle to light the room. When arriving in the room, Sasuke walked over to the bed and dumped her there. She let out a little 'Oomph!' as she landed on the bed. Tukiko stared up at Sasuke. She reacted quickly as Sasuke tossed over her katana with the same usual cold eyes. He pointed down at the floor.

"Stay here."

Tukiko was confused. Before she could even say anything, Sasuke was gone.

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Stupid Sasuke for doing this to her! Why does he always have to do these things? She couldn't understand him anymore! When she begged him not to leave, he acted like he hated her. Now he acted like he liked her again by ordering her around! How dare he? She fell back onto the bed, laying on her back. She stared up at the dull dark ceiling. Her eyes narrowed at it. Closing her eyes, a hand quickly grabbed the pillow there and put it in front of her face. She screamed into the pillow. Why, _why_ couldn't she understand her brothers anymore!? They were too stoic! They must have gained their father's personality.

_This is exactly why I am thankful that I am possibly the only one to get mother's side of the family. _Tukiko removed the pillow from her face, pulling it into a hug instead. She sighed. Her family history was so screwed up right now. She didn't even know what her relationships with her brothers were anymore. She was on a sort of good terms with Itachi and a very bad connection with Sasuke. She loved both of her brothers and they her but neither of them loved thier other sibling! What was wrong with them? She gave another sigh, growing very sleepy.

_I have idiots for brothers._

Then she fell asleep.

Tukiko didn't sleep for that long, though it felt like it. She was very comfortable in the bed. She hadn't actually slept in a decent bed for three months because of her ANBU mission before this. It didn't matter she was sleeping in a snake lair as long as she could get a few minutes of sleep. If only a little. Her heavenly bliss was interuppted as someone started to shake her shoulder.

She grumbled, turning on her side cuddling to the pillow. Her hand waved away the other hand like it was a pesky fly. "_Go away. I'm tired," _she grumbled silently to the person. Apparently the person didn't get the message as they started to shake her shoulder even more. A voice accompanied the shaking.

"Tukiko, wake up."

Tukiko tiredly noted that the voice sounded very familiar. She didn't care, only wanting to slip into blissful sleep. But the person was persistant to get her up. It bothered her until she finally snapped. She slipped out a kunai that she hid in her sleeves and sat up, holding the kunai out in front of where the person's neck was supposed to be. She didn't feel the warmth of someone's neck where the blood would pulse throughly. She only heard the clang of metal meeting metal. Irritantly, she opened her eyes to reveal the Sharingan. She was cranky enough to activate it. She was about to tell the person to leave her alone or else she would kill them but paused. Instead of seeing someone else's face, she saw her own that was reflected from her twin. But that face irritated her as well. She forced herself to deactivate her kekke genkai while slipping her kunai back. Then she straightened herself up, closing her eyes while turning away from him. She couldn't stand Sasuke right now, even if she was dead tired.

"_What do you want?"_ she growled out.

Sasuke didn't answer her.

The two sat in a silence that Tukiko couldn't stand. It was very awkward to be in his prescence much less near him. If there was one thing that she didn't like it was being in awkward silences. Sure, she was supposed to be used to them but she hated it! She just hated it and always found some way to break it. Not this time, though. She wouldn't dare speak when her traitor of a family member was in the same room as her. They sat there for a few more agonizing minutes. Tukiko couldn't take it anymore and said, "_Uchiha, if you have nothing to say to me then I'm going to go!"_

She stood to her feet and grabbed her sword along the way. Pushing past Sasuke, she started to head for the door. A hand grabbing a lock of her hair stopped her.

"You look alot like Mother now that you have long hair," Sasuke muttered, holding the lock of hair in his hand.

Tukiko didn't make a sound. She knew for a fact that she looked alot like her mother when she was her age. As she started to grow out her short hair that she had for most of her life, people started to comment that she would probably look like Mikoto before she died. Her mother was infamous for looking so young when she was already near her forties. It was unbelieveable she looked like she could be twenty! People in the village still commented that she could be Mikoto's twin.

"Hn. I remember that when we were little, you wanted to stop looking like a boy," Sasuke continued. "It took you fifteen years just to get that wish...." He paused as if something were bothering him. "Tukiko...speak to me."

_Speak to you?! I can't even speak _because _of you!_ Tukiko screamed in her head. She wanted to speak so badly. She wanted to yell at him, scream, or shriek so that she could be heard by everyone in the world to hear her! She wanted to let people hear her voice so badly. Being mute meant that she had no voice at all and no one would hear what she had to say. It was hard not being able to speak her mind. How she survived in the first place much less three years was a miracle for her to keep her sanity. Her throat become tear filled as tears gathered in her eyes. She had to fold her arms to keep herself from using her sleeve to wipe away her tears. _Stupid me! I can't believe that I would get this moody over something like this. I was trained not to by being an ANBU so why? Ugh! This is the shittiest day of my life._

"Tukiko...please speak to me..." Sasuke asked again. He let go of Tukiko's hair and reached over to grab her hand. Tukiko tensed as the hand came near her. She snapped yet again. Whirling around, she smacked Sasuke on the face. Her eyes bled a blood red as she glared at Sasuke.

"_Speak to you? You of all people want _me_ to speak to you?! How dare you!" _She silently screamed at him. Her angry tears slid down her porcelin cheeks. They were illuminated by the candlelight in the room. "_I've been wanting to speak for nearly three _years_ but I can't! I can't because my body was driven into a dangerously emotional state that almost killed me. My body was scarred for life and it was all because of an idiot I know. He wouldn't listen to me when I said that my body would recieve the most damage when away from each other from more than a day! And guess who the idiot was that left me mute?"_ She glared at Sasuke even more, the hate evident in her eyes. She had never been this mad before. Not even when some perverted man had the decency to cop a feel on her and she beat the guy bloody. Tukiko always told herself that she would be angry that rivaled both Itachi and Deidara's new found hate towards the middle Uchiha but not as mad as right now. Right now her anger level was skyrocketing off of the anger chart. Even more than Tsunade's level.

Sasuke didn't say anything nor did he respond to the slap on his face. The red mark was evident on his skin for they were both pale. He only stared down at Tukiko with blank eyes. Tukiko was sobbing at the same time as being angry as hell. At this moment, it felt as if anything and anyone could piss her off towards killing. And she only killed when necessary so this was big. After a few minutes of silence that seemed like seconds, Sasuke finally reacted.

"Tukiko...I'm-" He reached over to grab at Tukiko's hand but she backed away. What happened next Tukiko had no idea what she was doing. She was far too angry for any of this nor could she notice.

"DON'T YOU _DARE_ SAY THAT YOU ARE SORRY! BECAUSE YOU'RE NEVER SORRY!" Tukiko shrieked so loud that almost the whole lair could hear her. She reached into her weapon pouch to pull out a little clay figure. She backed away to the wall with her back against it then threw the object at Sasuke. He caught the object. He shouldn't have done that. Because the next thing Tukiko did was slip her hands into a hand seal she knew so well and shouted, "KATSU!"

---

Yeah, I know I'm evil. Sorry but can't talk for long. I'm updating this right before I go to school because on Wednesdays I have late start. Oh, and if you're asking why Tukiko can talk again its because she was so pissed at Sasuke that her voice reacted and let her speak again. Stupid reason I know.

Anyway, please review!


	4. Within the container

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 4

The clay figure exploded in Sasuke's hand. The explosion and the amount of chakra that Tukiko had accidentally put in it (which was a lot by the way) caused the bedroom and some of it's surrounding areas to crumble and explode. Tukiko had ducked and covered before the explosion did some damage to her as well. Rubble rained down on her body but it was nothing serious. Dust flew everywhere, making her cough. She reopened her eyes only to flinch at the sudden sunlight. Sunlight? Her eyes adjusted to the light and she took in her surroundings. No more was there a bedroom but a place with crumbled walls and buildings. She blinked.

_Whoops. I think I went overboard,_ she thought. She stood to her feet, shaking off any dust on her. _Deidara-kun should never let me near any of his clay ever again._

The only reason she knew that technique was because Deidara forced her to learn it. She didn't even want to use the clay figures that he made for her with her chakra mixed in it until now. And that was because it was out of anger.

"Wow. Remind me to never anger you as well," a voice said behind her. Tukiko glanced over to the side to see Sai getting up from the dust as well. She raised an eyebrow. What was he doing here? Wait, she actually didn't even want to know. Sai walked over to stand next to her, staring up at Sasuke's silhouette in the sun. Tukiko didn't even want to look up, fearing that she would lose her temper again. That was something _no one_ wanted to see.

Tukiko heard footsteps coming from her left. She turned just in time to see Sakura grab Sai's collar roughly, her other hand curled into a fist. Angry emerald eyes glared at the pale boy.

"You! What are you really after!?" She demanded. "How many times do you have to betray us until you're satisfied-"

"Sakura."

Sakura paused at the voice, stopping her anger short. She slowly looked up to the source of the voice. When her eyes caught light of who it was, her grip on Sai's collar slackened, dropping to her side. "Sasuke-kun..." she whispered. She was shocked to see him again. Tukiko turned away, growling. What she wouldn't give to wring that idiot's throat right now...

More footsteps were heard. Naruto came running outside and stopped next to Sakura. His blue eyes wandered up as well, shocked to some extent to see his old best friend again. It was amazing to see that his old friend was still okay and somewhat the same.

"So even you're here, Naruto?" Sasuke mused with that same cold exterior that reminded Tukiko so much of Itachi. "Is Kakashi here as well?"

"Sorry, it's not Kakashi," Yamato said, stepping out of the shadows. "I'm his substitute. Team Kakashi will now be taking you back to Konoha."

"Team Kakashi?" His eyes wandered over to Sai. Sai reacted by placing his hand on the short sword strapped to his back. The same one that all ANBU had to have. He pulled it out.

"Sai, I knew it!" Sakura yelled. She knew that Sai would try to kill Sasuke. He was the next person on his hit list, after all.

"So he's my replacement, huh?"

"_What's wrong, Sakura? I know you hate Sai as much I dislike him but what's up?" _Tukiko asked in sign language.

"Sai is trying to kill Sasuke-kun!" Sakura told her, gritting her teeth.

"Not anymore." Sai spoke to the two girls but never left eye contact with Sasuke. "My classified mission was indeed the assassination of Sasuke but I've had enough of orders. I now want to act on my own beliefs. That is why I will do everything to protect the bond that Sasuke and Naruto have. I may not know you very well, Sasuke-kun, but there must be some kind of reason why Naruto, Sakura, and Tukiko have pursued you so despeately. They don't want to sever their bonds with you. They're giving it their all to secure those bonds. I still don't understand it that clearly but Sasuke..._you_ should understand."

"Yeah, I understand..." Sasuke's eyes turned a hard color. "That's why I severed those bonds. I have other bonds that I carry..." His eyes wandered over to Tukiko, who started to shake with anger.

"That's a lie, you two faced jerk!" Tukiko suddenly spoke out. Team Kakashi were shocked to hear that the voice left from the girl that they thought was mute. Not anymore it seemed, was she mute. Tukiko matched Sasuke's hard and cold stare. "I have already given up on that stupid bond that we used to have but there is no way in hell I'm going to stand here and listen to you say that you severed your ties to Naruto and Sakura. That bond was there before I even came back! That bond is more important than the one we had! I will not stand here and listen to this anymore because..." She closed her eyes, shaking with anger. "I care about Naruto and Sakura. You should be grateful that they're doing this for you! If I were you, I would be happy with what I had!"

Naruto and Sakura stared at Tukiko in shock. They didn't know that she cared for them so much to do something she didn't even want to do. Like going with them to take Sasuke back. They were touched.

"Tukiko-chan..."

Naruto faced the ground, gritting his teeth. He couldn't just stand here. Tukiko was practically screaming at her twin brother because he left all of them. He couldn't believe that Tukiko had given up on her bond with Sasuke but focused on the brotherly bond that Naruto and Sasuke. It was horrible, feeling like that. Guilty. He had felt so guilty because if he had done what he promised the two girls in the first place, Tukiko would still have her bond with Sasuke.

"If that's true..." he said. He was speaking about what Sasuke said earlier. He glared up at Sasuke. "Why didn't you kill me back then!? Is that what you call severing bonds, Sasuke!?"

Sasuke closed his eyes. "The reason is simple. And it isn't that I wasn't able to sever my bonds with you...I simple didn't want him to have the satisfaction of seeing me attain power by submitting to his plans."

Tukiko growled, glaring at the ground. _I am _so_ going to kill Itachi with my bare hands for telling Sasuke to do that. It's all his fault this started!_

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto demanded.

"There's no need for me to tell you. Though the one thing I can say to you is that back then...I chose to spare your life at nothing but a whim." One minute Sasuke was standing at the top of the rocks then the next, he had his arm draped over Naruto's shoulder. He had moved so fast that Tukiko and Yamato almost missed it. Almost. "Come to think of it, isn't becoming Hokage one of your dreams? If you have the time to chase me around, you would have been better off training. Don't you think...Naruto? And with this time around, you'll lose your life." Sasuke drew out his katana.

"No way can a guy who can't even save one friend become Hokage," Naruto answered calmly. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't say anything. Instead, he held out his blade to strike at Naruto with. He was stopped, though, as Sai stepped in, restraining Sasuke from attacking. Tukiko and Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

Tukiko finally noticed that things were about to get serious. She reached behind her to draw out her own blade but felt nothing but the fabric of her sash. Alarmed, she noticed that she didn't have it on her. Instead it was lying on the ground halfway across the rubble. She needed that thing now! She ran and dove for it, grabbing it as she rolled back to her feet.

"_Chidori Nagashi_!"

Tukiko was surprised as she saw blue electricity coming off of Sasuke's body. It zapped Naruto and Sai, making the two fall to the ground. Even Yamato's wood jutsu was useless against the technique.

_So he can send Chidori throughout his body, eh? Interesting..._

Her train of thought was broken when Sakura rushed at Sasuke with chakra clad fists. She let out a gasp. Sakura couldn't take on Sasuke! He was too powerful for her! In a state of panic, Tukiko got to her feet and got in front of Sakura just as Sasuke slashed at her. Metal meeting metal sounded the air, their katanas connecting with each other. Tukiko had just stopped Sasuke before he could hurt Sakura. Sasuke seemed shocked by his eyes. Tukiko took this chance to send her chakra into her katana. The moment the chakra was sent into the sword, white-blue electricity shot out of it. Sasuke was able to dodge the attack by jumping back. Tukiko smirked, the electricity still sparking on her sword.

"What? You think that you're the only one who can make the _Chidori_ more advanced than before?" She looked over her shoulder to Sakura. "Don't fight Sasuke, got it? He's way too strong for you to take on."

"But Tukiko-chan-"

"No buts Sakura!" Sakura shut her mouth when seeing that Tukiko's Sharingan was activated. She knew that it was only when Tukiko was serious and/or mad that she would have it on. It was either one or the other but it was both this time. She glared at Sasuke. "He's mine."

"Hn. So you're willing to break that promise to fight me?" Sasuke said.

"That promise was broken when _you_ left!" Tukiko growled. She could not believe that Sasuke had the decency to even mention_ that _particular promise. It was even worse when she still felt that she should still keep to it. "How can I even stick to that promise when you're on the verge of breaking it yourself!?"

Sasuke didn't answer her. Instead, he stared over at where Naruto was lying on the ground. He noticed that the blond haired boy was shaking and noted that his necklace was lying next to him. When Naruto pushed himself up, he saw the blood red eyes that he had seen the last time they fought.

Tukiko glanced over at Naruto as well. When her red eyes met the contact of the equally blood red eyes of Naruto, she blacked out.

---

Tukiko's vision cleared as she opened her eyes. She was shocked to find that she was not in the rubbles of Orochimaru's lair anymore. Instead, she stood in a dark and dank sewer. In front of her stood huge gates with a paper seal in the front of it. In front of the cage stood Naruto. Tukiko stared in shock. What was he doing here? What was even more shocking was when she saw the bubbly figure of a huge red fox standing before Naruto.

_Where are we?_

"I don't need anything like your power anymore!" Naruto shouted at the great red fox. Tukiko was surprised that Naruto didn't seem afraid at all. She shivered as a haunting voice chuckled throughout the sewer.

"**Who was the one who had the nerve to ask for my help at every opportunity?" **The fox asked in amusement. "**You should know that you can't do anything on your own. Break the seal completely! I'll grant you all my powers if you do."**

Naruto glared at the fox. "Get lost."

The fox was about to say something when he let out a surprised gasp. His eys slightly widened before he glared, growling, "**You...**"

Tukiko was surprised when she saw Sasuke suddenly appear next to Naruto. He studied the fox. The fox glared at him before he noticed that Tukiko was standing in the background. He only glared at Sasuke though but he did notice the swirling fuma that lay in Tukiko's eyes.

"**I see...So you two are the Uchiha twins...My, how you two have grown..."**

Naruto stared at Sasuke then stared back at Tukiko. He was shocked at the prescene of the two. "Wh-What are you two doing here?" he asked.

Sasuke smirked. "I can see it now. So this is your unknown power, huh?" His eyes flickered to Naruto. "Who would've thought that something like this was inside you."

"**To think you'd become able to see me within Naruto**," the fox said. "**I would expect this from one who would bear the cursed form of that Sharingan but from a normal user..."**

"It seems this isn't the first time you've seen the Sharingan. Then...You must be the Kyuubi, huh?"

Tukiko bit her lip. She knew that Naruto was a Jinchurriki but she did not know which Bijuu he carried. Like Gaara had carried Shukaku who was the first of the tailed beasts. She bit her lip even harder. Knowing that Kyuubi was in Naruto, this couldn't be good.

**"That vision and chakra more ominous than my own...You're the spitting image of Madara Uchiha from the elder days,"**the fox noted.

"What did you say!?" In a flash, Tukiko appeared on the other side of Naruto, staring at the fox. She gritted her teeth. "Did you say Madara Uchiha?"

"**I take it you know who he is?**" The fox asked, It sounded like there was a smirk in there somewhere.

"Damn straight, I do," Tukiko hissed. She could remember who this Madara Uchiha was quite clearly. When she was thirteen, she had first learned of this man when she had found some old letters of Itachi's addressed to her. After learning about who he was and how her brother knew him, she had spent some of her free days researching him. She learned everything about him. What she couldn't get was how...how was he still alive to this day when it was said that he died at Harashirama's hand? She gave a cruel smile at the fox. "Now tell me, Kyuubi...How do you know of that man?"

**"You should not be ordering me around, little Uchiha. You look as if you don't have the ability to possess those eyes and yet you are not afraid."**The fox chuckled. "**I also smell the scents of four Bijuu on your skin. You have met them?"**

"Yes, I have. But stop changing the subject, you damned fox! God, you're more random than Shukaku," she muttered. "How do you know Madara Uchiha!?"

Before Tukiko could even get her answers, Sasuke roughly grabbed the snout of the fox. The fox popped on site. She glared at Sasuke.

"Damn it, Sasuke! I needed those answers!"

**"I never thought you would go as far as to surpress my power,"** the fox said. "**This might be the end but let me tell you...one thing...Don't kill...Naruto...You'll...regret....it...."**

That was the last thing Tukiko heard before she blacked out yet again.

---

Tukiko felt herself back in the rubbles of Orochimaru's lair. She swayed just a bit and fell on one knee. She held her head as her vision swam. Sakura was at her side in a flash. Tukiko blinked away the darkness that edged her eyes.

_Damn. I must have activated it to get into Naruto's head._

"Tukiko-chan, are you okay?" Sakura asked urgently.

She nodded. Her eyes may have hurt a bit but she was fine.

"_Wood style: Dome wall!"_ Tukiko and Sakura heard Yamato yell out. They saw as wood sprang up from the ground to trap Sasuke, who was distracted at the moment, into a wooden dome. That proved to be useless as Sasuke only broke out of the dome. He jumped up to break through and landed on the top of the rock wall that he was on in the beginning of all of this.

Naruto gritted his teeth. Why couldn't Sasuke come home? "Why don't you get it!?" he yelled at him. "Soon, Orochimaru's going to take over your body!"

"If it happens, it happens..." Sasuke calmly replied. "You're still a kid, Naruto. Revenge is everything to me. If I carry out my revenge, it's no concern of mine what happens to me or to this world."

Tukiko felt angry tears line the edges of her eyes. She hated Sasuke for being an avenger. What good was revenge going to get for him? It was going to ruin his life! It was going to eat him and eat him until he was nothing but someone filled with hate. And what if he did get his revenge? What then!? Was he going to be happy? Or was it going to leave him emptier than it did before? If she were in Sasuke's place, she would feel far too empty. She wiped away her eyes with her sleeves angerly.

_This isn't fair...I don't want Itachi to die at Sasuke's hand nor the other way around. Stupid idiots that are my brothers! Why does our family have to hate each other? Why can't Itachi just tell Sasuke the truth?!_

Tukiko lifted her head just as Sasuke started to do hand seals. He raised his hand to do something when Orochimaru caught his hand. Tukiko gritted her teeth.

_Great! More things to add to my stress level!_

"Don't bother with that jutsu, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru sternly told him.

"Let go of me."

"Hey, don't speak to Orochimaru-sama like that." Kabuto suddenly appeared on the rock as well.

"I've got no reason to stop."

Kabuto gave him a stern look.

"You know what the Akatsuki are up to, don't you?" He asked. Sasuke scowled. "We want these guys from Konoha to take care of Akatsuki for us. As many of them as possible. Your revenge won't turn out well if the other Akatsuki get in the way, right?"

"That's a stupid reason."

Tukiko bit her lip, glancing off at the side. The other ninjas of Konoha would kill the Akatsuki but not her. There was no way she was going to fight against Deidara, Itachi, or Kisame. Two of them were important to her while the latter of the group she had gotten to know quite well. There was no way in hell she was going to participate in those threes' deaths.

Orochimaru let go of Sasuke's wrist. It dropped to his side.

"Let's go."

Sasuke grabbed his katana and put it back in it's sheath. As he grabbed it, a flash of silver was seen from his left wrist. Tukiko squinted slightly and gasped at what it was. It was a silver chain bracelet with a single charm. On the charm was a five petaled flower with a cresent moon right above it. It was her bracelet that she had recieved from him on their sixth birthday. Tukiko couldn't believe it.

_He actually kept it? Even after three years, he actually kept it?_

Tukiko stared at Sasuke who stared at Naruto. He kept eye contact with him until the last minute, his eyes flickered to Tukiko. Then he, Orochimaru, and Kabuto disappeared.

Tukiko closed her eyes, biting her lip to when it bled and the blood was in her mouth. Like the blood that fell down her chin, tears fell down her cheeks. She punched at the ground, not caring if it stung.

"Damnit! Why...Why did he have to...That damned...!" Tukiko couldn't even find the right words for her anger. Just when Tukiko thought that Sasuke didn't care about her, he had to go and show he did care by having her charm bracelet. The very one that she had asked Naruto to give to Sasuke to show that he was never alone. Tukiko couldn't understand this anymore. Tukiko screamed in frustration, punching the ground even harder. "I hate this! I hate this so damn much!"

Tukiko only wished that none of this was happening right now.

---

Yeah, I know. Sucky ending. Sorry, can't talk a lot right now cuz I have school at 9 and I want to get this out of the way early. I know that I still have a lot of time before that but I want to go play my new Kingdom Hearts game on the DS! You know, the 358/2 days? That one! It's so good!It's like the playstation 2 games yet at the same time it's not! Tell you guys about it some other time but right now, I gotta go!

Please review!


	5. Reconnection

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Just Tukiko.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 5

"WHAT!? I'M BEING _DEMOTED?!?!"_

That was the scream that was heard throughout Konoha. No one knew who the source of the voice was since they had never heard that voice before. They shrugged off the voice, thinking it was some poor chunin being demoted to genin or something. How wrong they were.

"Damnit, brat! I liked you better when you were mute," Tsunade grumbled, picking at her eardrums. She was sure that scream up close from the one and only Tukiko Uchiha, the girl who used to be mute, had damaged her eardrums.

Tukiko, right now, was shaking in disbelief. She could not believe this. She glared at Tsunade. "Why the hell am I being demoted, Hokage-sama!? I've been one of your best ANBUs since I joined last year. How could you do this to me when I worked so hard for it!?" Tukiko actually felt like she was going to cry. For the past three years she had worked so hard to reach ANBU only to have it taken away. How could Tsunade do this to her?!

"Jeez, calm down. I have a simple reason why I'm demoting you back to jonin," Tsunade explained. Tukiko stood there in front of Tsunade, a glare in her eyes. She was waiting. "It's true that you are one of my best ANBUs ever since you joined just last year. You're also the best in my personal squad. But that is a problem with the elders."

"What do you mean?" Tukiko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They think that you're advancing way too fast for someone your age. That you're becoming exactly like Itachi save for the fact that it's off by two years. He made ANBU at the age of thirteen while you, fourteen." (It's actually fourteen and a half but who's countin?)

"O-Oh really?" Tukiko nervously laughed. She already knew this stuff from when she was thirteen but no one else knew she knew. It was even kept a secret that Itachi was an ANBU at an early age from her. No one wanted to tell her so she didn't bothering talking about it. "I-I didn't know that."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. They think that since you entered the ANBU a year older than Itachi did, you'll end up becoming just like him."

"So they think I'm going to become a homicidal ANBU that murdered their family and all those close to me?"

"Exactly. That is why they think it's best if you stick with being a jonin for now. You need to be with people your age. You always seem to be with anyone older than you. Plus, when was the last time you've ever since anyone your age?"

Tukiko bit her lip. Dang, Tsunade was right. She hadn't seen any of the Konoha eleven ninjas ever since she entered the ANBU division. She had even rarely seen them when she was a jonin for a few months! When was the last time she had seen her best friend? It has been probably near half a year since she has seen him. Believe it or not, she really missed him. She heaved a heavy sigh.

"Fine. I'll be a jonin again. But when I'm older, I can retake the position again, right?"

"If you want to. Oh, and you'll be on Team Kakashi for a while, alright?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Tukiko bowed to Tsunade before turning around to head out the door. She closed the door behind before heading out to go relax or something. She frowned at the ground.

_Damn! I really liked being ANBU. All of those exciting missions, the need to get away from my problems...Wait, I think that's a bad thing. Huh, maybe it's good that I'm becoming a jonin again._

Tsunade was right. She was just fifteen, for pete's sake! She was young! She should be enjoying herself like all teenagers do! She should get in trouble, party, go on dates!

_Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, Tukiko! You don't want to go on dates with other guys. You already have a cute guy yourself so be faithful to him,_ Tukiko's reasonable side told her. That side was right. She already had Deidara. She could go on dates with him but he never had the time. She didn't want to be unfaithful to him by cheating on him with some other guy. It wasn't right when she loved the blond haired boy.

_Really, who could replace that cute guy with his shining blue eyes that look like the sky, his mischievous smile...the way he blinks adorably when he's trying to get something....the passionate look in his eyes when he talks about his art...._

Tukiko giggled, a faraway daze in her eyes. She didn't even bother to notice that she had stopped in front of the hospital. She started to daydream about Deidara with an 'in-love' grin on her face. She didn't want to be brought out of this stupor but she would have to if she didn't want to look stupid.

"Tukiko-chan, is that you?"

Too late.

Tukiko turned around, her daze gone away. She blinked and smiled when seeing four familiar faces. "Hey, Asuma-san, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji!"

As she finished saying Chouji's name, she was suddenly attacked and being hugged to death by a girl with long platinum blond hair that was tied up just like Deidara's. Tukiko almost fell over at the sudden tackle but caught herself.

"Oh my gosh, the rumor's true! You _can_ speak again!" Ino squealed, hugging Tukiko tightly. "It's so good to hear your lovely voice again, Tukiko-chan!"

"Yeah...Nice to see you too, Ino," Tukiko choked out. She had gotten used to Ino and saw her as a sister like with Sakura. The hugs were the same like Sakura's but not as powerful. She thanked the gods that Ino didn't train under Tsunade too. Ino let go of Tukiko. She was left trying to breathe again.

"So you've gained your voice again, eh, Tukiko?" Shikamaru said, walking up to the girl. He sighed. "It was troublesome not hearing what you were saying but now it's even more so since you're going to be loud or something."

"Hn. Nice to see you too, Shikamaru," Tukiko said, rolling her eyes. She may have known Shikamaru more after they became fellow chunins for a short time yet she still had to get used to his laid back attitude. She turned away from Shikamaru and smiled at Asuma and Chouji. "Hey guys! You get back from a mission?"

"Yeah. We just came back but we're visiting Kakashi before we go get some dinner," Asuma said to her. "Want to come?"

"Sure! I haven't seen Kakashi in..." Tukiko began to count her fingers as they all started to walk into the hospital and towards Kakashi's current room. Tukiko raised an eyebrow when she finished counting. "Eight months. Wow, that's long."

"Well it _is _long! None of us have seen much of you after you became ANBU," Chouji mentioned, munching on a potato chip.

"Yeah! I almost didn't recognize you if you didn't have your Uchiha crest on your shirt." Ino pointed to the Uchiha crest that lay on the back of her loose dark blue T-shirt. Tukiko's hair was down but her crest was still seen through the curtain of her hair. Ino touched a lock of Tukiko's hair. "Your hair's even grown about two inches longer too! Last time I saw it, it barely even reached your shoulders! Now look at it."

"Ino, you should know that Tukiko's mother always had long hair and it grew so fast," Asuma mentioned to his once student. "It's only reasonable that Tukiko would gain that side. Actually, she looks like her mother now."

"Thanks, Asuma-san," Tukiko said quietly. She gave a smile. She always liked it when people said she looked like her mother. She loved her mother and wanted to be the ninja she was when she was her age.

The group finally arrived at Kakashi's room. Asuma slid the door open without knocking, which Ino frowned at. "How's the body, Kakashi?" he said out to him.

"Asuma-sensei, you're supposed to knock first, you know!" Ino scolded her teacher.

Tukiko peeked over Shikamaru's shoulder as they entered the room. She was kind of surprised to see that Sakura, Naruto, and Sai were there as well. She glanced over to Kakashi who sat on a bed. She shook her head, walking over to the bed. "I swear, Kakashi. It seems like everytime I see you, you're always in a bed or out cold!" she commented.

Kakashi glanced over at the unknown voice to have his eye widen. Then he smiled through his mask. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Tukiko-chan. Naruto's actually right for once. You _can_ speak again."

"Yeah, yeah. It's a miracle! I've heard it already," Tukiko said with a waving off tone. She leaned on the wall next to the window. "Is it really surprising to hear my voice after three years? I mean, it's nothing special, really."

"You're kidding!" Ino gaped at her. "How could you _not_ think your voice is not important? It's necessary for talking and communicating!"

She gave an elegant shrug, crossing her arms. "I don't know. I've been silent for so long that you get used to it. But now I'm getting used to speaking again instead of using sign language."

"Yeah and that was hard to learn for me to understand you," she muttered.

"So, Tukiko-chan, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, covering up for Ino. She knew that Tukiko tended to get testy when people mentioned why they had to learn sign language to simply speak to Tukiko.

"I was actually walking around the village after my meeting with Tsunade-sama."

"You had a meeting with Shishou?"

"Yeah. Apparently, I'm on Team Kakashi now because I've been demoted!" Tukiko scowled at that fact again. She couldn't seem to get over it quite yet. She worked so hard to get to the status that she had.

"WHAT?! YOU'VE BEEN _DEMOTED!?" _Ino and Sakura yelled out together.

"My thoughts exactly."

"How could _you_, the great Tukiko Uchiha, be demoted?" Shikamaru questioned. Even he was surprised that Tukiko was demoted from her current status.

"Tsunade-sama said I need to spend more time with people my age," she answered. She examined her nails as she began to explain; a habit that she had picked up from Sasori before he died. "I, apparently, don't spend much time with my friends and more with older people than me. She thinks this is going to be a short vacation from my previous duties. I can reapply for my old position when I'm older though."

Kakashi and Asuma nodded.

"It is true that you don't spend some time with people your age. You're only fifteen, after all," Kakashi said to her. "You should enjoy life right now. You're going to get wrinkle lines if you kept up your work from before."

"Ah, hey..." Everyone looked at Naruto. He blinked in confusion, rubbing the back of his head. "What was Tukiko's old position anyways? Is it really that surprising that she was demoted or something?"

Tukiko blinked at Naruto. By the confused look in his eyes, it seemed that he was telling the truth when he didn't know what she was ranked before. She turned to Sakura with a blank expression on her face. "You didn't tell him?"

Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Chouji shook their heads.

"He would have been too overwhelmed with the fact that he's the only one still a genin," Sakura explained.

"Well, that makes sense."

"What was her position?" Naruto asked again.

"Naruto, remember when I told you that five others went out and over to get above chunin?" Shikamaru asked him. Naruto nodded. "I said that Neji, Kankuro, Temari and Gaara were over chunin but I didn't tell you the last one: Tukiko's position. Tukiko isn't a chunin nor is she a jonin. She is-well-_was_ an ANBU black op squad captain. One of Tsunade's personal best really. Before this, I thought that the girl would become head of the ANBU at the rate she was going at."

"Eh?!?" Naruto yelled out in surprise. He stared at Tukiko in shock. "Are you seriously...?!"

"I _was!_ But Tsunade demoted me so that I could be with people my age!" Tukiok huffed. "I don't mind this at all but I really liked being an ANBU. It was exciting each mission! The fact that I've been demoted just made me really sad. But Tsunade's right. I need to spend more time with my friends before I go under the dirt. That reminds me, I haven't seen Neji in awhile."

"Neji? Why would you go to see Neji? I thought you didn't like him?" Naruto asked. He was still under the impression that Tukiko hated Neji because of the whole 'engagement' thing that they would have to go through when Tukiko turned sixteen in a few months.

Tukiko stared at Naruto, an eyebrow raised. She was disbelieved at the blond. Didn't he know yet? She glared at Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. "Have you guys told him _nothing_ about me when he came back to the village?"

They all shook their heads. They didn't want to upset Naruto or overwhelm him with so much information about what had changed in the village while he was gone.

"I can't believe you guys are my friends," she muttered. With a sigh, she said to Naruto, "Naruto, believe it or not but Neji's like my best friend now."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "What!? So you're best friends with the guy you're _marrying?!"_

"No, I'm best friends with a fellow ninja. Shortly after you left the village to go train, I challenged Neji to break out of our marriage thing. There's some old village rule about arranged marriages that says if a family wishes to not do the marriage anymore, the two engaged _must_ fight. That's what me and Neji did. I won and me and Neji have been best friends ever since. So Neji's my _ex-_fiancé now."

He was silent from all of this information. He didn't know how to quite take it. He had no idea that Tukiko had done so much of these things after he was gone. Sakura and the rest of them were right not to tell him when he first came back to the village. All of this was overwhelming him.

Asuma must have sensed that Naruto was overwhelmed by this information so he said, "You guys go ahead to Bar-b-Q. If you guys from Kakashi's team want, you can go too. I need to talk to Kakashi alone. I'll pay for the bill."

Ino and Chouji cheered. Naruto snapped out of his daze and frowned.

"Wait a second! Aren't you going to tell me about the training, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm? Oh that. We'll just talk about that later."

"Huh?! But I want to know now!"

"Oh, leave it Naruto! I'm hungry!" Tukiko grabbed Naruto by his ear and dragged him out of the room, following Sakura, Ino, Sai, Shikamaru, and Chouji. Before she left out the door, she shot a questioning glanced at Kakashi and Asuma. They gave a curt nod, meaning they would tell her later. She was skeptical about this but would worry later. Being a fellow jonin let them tell her things that she would need to know as well.

The group arrived at the resturant and got a table. They all took their places and waiters came in to put some of the food that was to be cooked on the table. The girls put the meat on the cooker and let it cook. Sakura glanced around, seeing no Shikamaru.

"Hey, where's Shikamaru?" she asked.

"He said he had to go back and help his dad go get some horns for the medicine they make," Chouji said. He wiped away the drool from staring at the still cooking meat.

"Huh. He's always really good at showing up for meetigs about our missions. That's pretty strange for him," Ino mentioned.

Tukiko kept her mouth shut. She knew the real reason to where Shikamaru had gone to. She only hoped that he would tell her later on as well.

"Alright! I call his share then!" Chouji made to pick up the sizzling meat with his chopsticks but Ino scolded him.

"Chouji! Before we eat, we need to introduce ourselves to Sai!"

Chouji stopped. "Ah, guess you're right."

Sai smiled. Not that fake ones he had used when Tukiko first met him. It seemed like it was genuine. "Please go ahead."

"Um, I'm Chouji Akimichi of the Akimichi clan," Chouji said. "Nice to meet you, er, Sai, was it?"

"Nice to meet you, um..." Sai seemed like he was thinking hard on something. Tukiko wondered what he could be thinking when he opened his mouth to say, "Fa-"

A hand clamped over Sai's before anything else was said. Tukiko's eyes were wide when she knew what he almost said. Naruto leaned over to Sai, whispering harshly at him. Tukiko sighed.

_Thank goodness Naruto stopped him. Otherwise, he would have called Chouji 'fatso'._

That was a taboo word around Chouji. It was a known fact that no one must _never_ call the Akimichi by that nickname. If people called him that, they would be in the hospital for weeks. Thank the gods Chouji was clueless about what Sai almost said. Naruto removed his hand from Sai and went back into place.

Ino giggled at Sai. Now Tukiko was confused. "I'm Ino Yamanaka, daughter of the Yamanaka flower shop owners!" she greeted happily. "Nice to meet you!"

Sai smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, um..."

_Sai's doing that again,_ Tukiko thought with a curious edge. _Just what is he doing?_ Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sakura smirk like something was going to happen that she would like. That smirk dropped as Sai came up with something to call Ino.

"Ms. Beautiful."

Sakura's eye twitched. She reached over to pummel Sai but Naruto stopped him. She waved a fist at Sai dangerously. "Why the hell is it 'beautiful' with Ino! Shannaro!"

Tukiko raised an eyebrow. "Mind telling me what this is about?" she whispered to Naruto. He was still holding back Sakura.

"Sai's coming up with nicknames for people to get closer to them. He called Sakura-chan 'Ugly'!" Naruto hissed at her. He couldn't hold onto Sakura anymore. His hands slipped as she lunged at Sai to punch him in the head. It was only one hit though. They were still in a public place after all.

"Nicknames?" Tukiko asked with a slight tilt of her head. Sai was coming up with nicknames? He already had a nickname for Sakura (not a very good one though). She tapped Sai on the shoulder. He turned to her, touching the bruise that would form on his cheek. "Do you have a nickname for me yet?"

Sai shook his head. "No I haven't. Do you want me to come up with one for you?"

Tukiko nodded. "Sure if it means that we're going to get closer to being friends. I still haven't forgiven you for knocking me out but I'm willing to forget that if we're friends."

He nodded. He wanted to get on Tukiko's good side after what had happened at first between them. But it had to be a nickname that wouldn't piss her off like it did with Sakura. If it was Tukiko, it would be worse to have her mad after what he witnessed from her blowing up a room after she grew mad. He stared at the wooden table in thought of a nickname. Now what were Tukiko's characteristics? Sometimes, she was nice and polite though it was hard to tell if it was genuine or fake. Other times, she would become cold and distant like her brother but not as cold as him. Plus, she was in a way pretty though he wasn't sure if she was or not. He smiled at her, coming up with one.

"I guess I'll call you...Season."

Tukiko raised an eyebrow as well as everyone else.

"Why season?" Sakura asked her. She was confused as well.

"Because her personality seems to change by the day, like the seasons. One minute, she can be nice and polite then she could be cold and distant." He shrugged, smiling. "That was all I could think of for Tukiko-chan."

"Well that does describe Tukiko-chan," Naruto laughed. "She can be really nice to everybody but then the next day, she could be cold or something."

All of them agreed on the nickname.

"Am I really like that?" Tukiko wondered aloud. She had no idea that her personality changed alot. What was with that? She sighed. If it was the only nickname that Sai could think it, she could live with it. After all, they were going to be on the same team for now so she might as well as try to get along with him. She smiled at Sai who returned it. Maybe they would become friends once Tukiko got past the fact he was a ROOT member. Someday they could...

---

So there's another chapter for you. Not much happened in this chapter 'cept for Tukiko being demoted and all. Sorry.

Ugh, I'm not in the greatest mood to talk so night.

Oh, and please review!


	6. Best friends

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Tukiko, I do.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 6

Tukiko walked through the streets of Konoha heading towards a special destination. In her arms, she carried some food that she made herself. She hummed as she walked through the streets. It was strange to see Tukiko Uchiha doing something that didn't invovle any missions but it would have to be a constant sight.

It was sort of a vacation for Tukiko nowadays. Ever since being demoted from ANBU to jonin, she had more time to do things she wanted to do. She also didn't have to worry about any missions. Sure she would do some training but later on when she saw all of her friends again. This was a perfect time to do so because Kakashi was currently training Naruto with Yamato helping. Naruto was learning about the elemental recomposition things so that he could make his own one-of-a-kind jutsu. Tukiko had done the same just last year and was currently working on her own jutsu. It would take a while to master some of the elements to the jutsu though.

_If only I could get that damned stance!_ she thought with a sigh. It's been a year since she had come up with that jutsu and yet she still hadn't gotten it down perfectly to use in battle. She was almost done if it weren't for the fact that she couldn't get the position right. _I would need to ask Neji's help again when I visit him today._

Tukiko turned a familiar corner to the place she was heading to. She went over to the front door and knocked on the door. Waiting for a minute, the door finally opened to reveal a woman with brown hair and pale lavendar eyes. When she saw Tukiko at the doorstep, she gave a soft smile.

"It is nice to see you again, Tukiko-sama. Are you here to visit either Neji or Hinata-sama?" she asked the young girl. She stepped to the side to let the girl enter.

"Actually, are they both here? I wouldn't mind seeing both of them at the same time," Tukiko said. She entered the home, taking off her shoes.

The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid only Neji is home at the moment. He will be glad to see you after so long."

Tukiko laughed. "Well, it _has _been awhile since I've seen him too. I think he'll be happy to see that I'm not a mute anymore."

"Yes. He will." The woman walked through the halls of the home with Tukiko behind her. They passed many rooms where most of the members of the family (mainly the branch family) waved at her in greeting. She waved back with a smile. She was used to being in the Hyuga home after visiting it many times so that she could visit Hinata, Hanabi, or Neji. They reached the middle of the home where there was a sort of courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard stood a young man with pale eyes and long brown hair. He was practicing his stances. The woman cleared her throat, making the young man stop. He stared at the woman.

"Yes? What is it?" he asked.

"You have a visitor, Neji."

Tukiko looked over the shoulder of the woman and smiled at her best friend. "What's up, Hyuga?"

He dropped of out his stance, his mouth dropped slightly. "Tukiko? Is that you?" he asked skeptically. It had been so long that he had seen the young girl. About eight months. It was a surprise to hear that she was speaking and grew her hair out long than it was before.

"Yup!" Tukiko dropped her package of food on the ground gently before going out to tackle hug Neji. Neji caught her as she leapt on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's _soooo_ good to see you again, Hyuga! It's been so long since I have seen you."

Neji sighed. "Please let go of me, Tukiko."

Tukiko blushed before she let go of Neji. She dropped down to the ground and stared up at Neji. Neji was a good few inches taller than her so she only came up to his nose. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, Neji. It's been so long since we've seen each other so I'm really happy!"

He shook his head. He did agree with Tukiko though. It was true neither of them were able to see the other for quite some time now. Before Tukiko made ANBU, she and Neji used to be fellow jonins. They were always on the same team and went on the same missions. If either of them had a seperate mission, the one would tell the other that they were leaving on a mission be it night or day. But Neji would have a problem telling Tukiko at night when she was asleep. She hated being woken up. Somehow Neji would always be injured _before_ the mission started. The two were rather close now that their engagement contract was done and over with.

The two went over to the porch to sit down. Tukiko gave Neji the food that she had made. He eagerly took it, gobbling up. He liked Tukiko's cooking like a few other people. Tukiko merely drank a cup of tea, staring at the sky.

"Tukiko, is today your day off from your ANBU duties?" Neji asked, placing his chopsticks on the empty bento box.

"You could say that." She took a long sip of the tea. She closed her eyes. "I've been demoted."

His hand paused when he was reaching over for a rice ball. He stared at Tukiko.

"Have you really...?"

Tukiko nodded. "Yes. I've been demoted back to jonin. Tsunade and the elders think that I need to spend more time with people my age. She is true. It's been eight months since we've last seen each other. I'm not getting any younger after all."

"But are you alright with it?" Neji knew how much being an ANBU meant to Tukiko. To be demoted like this because she was only fifteen must have really hurt her.

"I'm fine with it, Neji. Besides, I finally have enough time to do things I want. Like finishing that jutsu I'm trying to master." Tukiko smiled at Neji. "That reminds me. Can you help me with that? I need to get that stance if I want to get it!"

Neji nodded. He had been helping Tukiko develop that jutsu ever since she had suggested it to him last year. Ever since she had seen him practicing the Hyuga family jutsus.

Tukiko smiled. "Alright! Then let's start now!"

Tukiko and Neji then started their training session. The first thing that they did was have Neji do some of his stances while Tukiko watched him with her Sharingan activated. With that activated, she could be able to copy him with practice. When that was done, the two would practice that stance. Tukiko would get into the stance and do exactly what Neji did before. If she ever messed up Neji would move to correct her. This kept going on for two hours or so before Tukiko ran out of chakra. They only stopped because Tukiko did run out of chakra.

"So...tired..." Tukiko was sprawled out on the ground covered in dirt. Her chest heaved, breathing for air. "Ran...out...chakra...."

Neji rolled his eyes. Tukiko was being so overdramatic. But she was right. Using that style of stances would always tire out someone who was not a Hyuga. It was because of this that Tukiko was out of chakra. He nudged Tukiko on the side with his shoe.

"Tukiko, please get off of the ground."

Tukiko tried to get up but all of her muscles ached terribly. She had tried to sit up but couldn't. She fell back to the ground, unmoving. She glanced up at Neji. "Carry me home?"

"Why do I have to carry you?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow. "You can just rest here then head home."

"But I don't have the strength to get up." Tukiko gave a puppy dog pout at him, raising her arms up just like a child. "Please, Neji?"

Neji's eye twitched. She was using her secret weapon on him. Tukiko's puppy dog pout was irrestible and no one could escape it. Not even him. He looked away to avoid it but it was no use. It was only stuck in his mind. He sighed.

"Fine! Just get on my back." He knelt down to her so that she would get on his back.

Tukiko smirked her Uchiha smirk. She knew that puppy dog pout would work. She struggled to get on Neji's back. Once she was on his back, she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. Neji grabbed her legs and started to walk out of the estate. She snuggled into his long hair like a younger sister would do to her older brother. "Thanks for doing this, Hyuga."

"Hn." Neji sighed. Why did he have to be so soft when this girl was with him? Oh, wait. He wasn't soft. It was Tukiko's convincing skills that was responsible for this. She could convince even the hardest of ninjas to do her bidding. He was so lucky that he wasn't engaged to her anymore. He only felt sorry for the poor sap who would become her husband.

---

(At that moment, Deidara sneezed as he and Tobi were heading off to one of the Akatsuki hideouts.)

---

Neji carried Tukiko through the market streets of Konoha. No one bothered to notice them as they passed by. Tukiko laid her head on Neji's shoulder, her eyelids starting to get heavy. She was exhausted from using up all of her chakra. She fell asleep on Neji's back as someone called out to her.

"Hey, Tukiko-chan!" Neji turned around to see Sakura there. She held a bag full of some ingrediants that he did not identify at the moment. When he turned, Sakura stopped just near him, surprised. "Oh, Neji! I didn't see you carry Tukiko. Is she alright?" Her eyes wandered over to the sleeping girl on his back.

Neji nodded. "She just used up all of her chakra. She's fine."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. What was it that made her so tired?"

"She's been working on her jutsu."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean the one you helped her develop?"

He nodded.

"She should be careful. Using that jutsu takes up most of her chakra." She sighed. "That girl never knows her limits."

"It _is_ Tukiko we are talking about. This girl would run around Konoha one hundred times with her weights off if it were possible."

"I know. It's worse when she eats sugar."

They both shuddered at the word. It was horrible if Tukiko ever had sugar. There was a reason that girl and Sasuke hated sugar or sweets of any kind. A short time after both Neji and Tukiko's fight, all of the rookies plus Shikamaru, the jonin senseis, and the Hokage and Shizune went out to eat to celebrate. When it came to dessert, Tukiko refused to eat any of the cake or sweets that was being offered. Someone a little too in the celebrating mood (*coughTsunadecough*) told Tukiko to live a little while shoving a piece of cake into her mouth. Tukiko had no choice but to swallow the cake. A few minutes after, Tukiko became really hyper and started to go run around the resturant. Then feeling the need to go out, she ran out of the resturant to run around the village. All of them had to try and catch up with the hyper girl to catch her to calm her down. This was difficult because Tukiko was not wearing her weights. This made her as fast as Kakashi. It took two hours until they finally caught the girl. The only reason they caught her was because the sugar started to wear off and they found the girl unconcious. The next day Tukiko couldn't remember what happened and no one told her. From that day forth, all of them made sure to note to _never_ give her sugar.

Sakura shook her head out of the horrible memory. "Well, you should bring her home to rest."

Neji nodded and went ahead to bring the girl home.

---

Sorry, short chapter. Not much happened. If you want to know about the jutsu that Tukiko developed, it will appear later on.

Not much to say since I gotta update quick. Please reveiw!


	7. Mourning a loss

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 7

"Apple."

"Berries."

"Cantaloupe."

"..."

"Well?"

"...Dickless?"

"Sai! You're supposed to stay on the subject of what we're naming!" Tukiko yelled at Sai, slapping him upright on the head. She groaned. "When will you ever learn?"

Sai smiled innocently. "I'm sorry, Tukiko. There's not a fruit or a vegatable that starts with D."

Tukiko groaned again.

It was the start of an odd day for Tukiko. She had gone over to go watch Naruto train when Sai comes up to her asking her about a certain game. It was the alphabet game. He had found out about the game in a book that he was reading that said, "Playing games with others are helpful to becoming closer to a person." When he wanted to learn how to play the game, Tukiko told him that she could teach it to him. She used to play this game all the time with Sasuke and Itachi when they were little. So they sat near the forest where Naruto was training to play the game. She was able to teach him the game but he kept getting off topic of what they were naming.

Tukiko sighed, running a hand through her long hair. She was sitting indian style in front of Sai who was in the same postion. "Let's start again. And don't get off topic again, got it?" Sai nodded. "Okay, the catergory is animals. You start this time."

Sai nodded. "Anteater."

"Bear."

"Cat."

"Dog."

"Eel."

"Fox."

"Goldfish."

"Horse."

"Itachi."

Tukiko raised an eyebrow at that word. Itachi? What the heck?

"Itachi is another name for 'weasal'," Sai told her. "So I can still use it."

Tukiko shook her head. That was true. "Whatever works for you."

The two continued to play the game all the way up to 'N'. It was Sai's turn to say it when Sakura walked up to them.

"Hey guys. What are you doing?" she asked, sitting on the rock beside Tukiko.

"Nag!" Sai said, coming up with something.

"Sai!" Tukiko hit him on the head for getting off topic _again._

"Uh...?" Sakura merely blinked, confused with what they were doing.

"Sorry Sakura. I'm teaching Sai how to play the alphabet game," Tukiko apologized. "But he keeps getting off topic!" She glared at him who smiled innocently.

"You're teaching him how to play a game? That's a new one." Sakura was so surprised that she would teach Sai how to play a game. Why would she teach him?

Tukiko shrugged. "I had nothing better to do."

"What about your jutsu?"

"I got it down. It's just I have to use it in battle." Tukiko let out a huge smile. For two straight days, she and Neji have been working on her jutsu. After many hours of trying to get the position right, she finally got it down. When she had gotten it, she celebrated for ten whole minutes, laughing and giggling at finally getting it down. She wanted to try it out again but Neji told her not to. She was already out of chakra as it was. So he told her to take a rest for a while. Not one to disobey her best friend, she had been relaxing her body ever since. She let out a grin at Sakura. "It took me a whole year but I've finally perfected the jutsu."

Sai blinked. "Jutsu? What jutsu?"

"A jutsu Tukiko-chan has been working on for a year. She's been trying over and over again to perfect it but she never got it. Until now." Sakura smiled at Tukiko who smiled back. She was so proud of Tukiko. She had been trying to get the jutsu down for so long that she was almost on the verge of giving up. That was why it was a relief that Tukiko hadn't given up and finally completed it.

"Oh, I see." Sai nodded, understanding. So Tukiko had developed a jutsu all on her own. He only wondered what kind of jutsu it was.

The three started to get off topic and conversed about several things until they decided to try and play the alphabet game again. With Sakura's help they could probably teach Sai how to properly play. That's what they did and played for who knows how long. They had stopped playing when a chunin suddenly appeared in the feild. He ran over to Yamato and whispered in his ear. Tukiko could see that far away but couldn't tell what he said for his hand was covering his mouth. She frowned when Yamato's eyes widened and he stood up.

"Kakashi-senpai, we're going to have to train some other time! We have to get back to the village," he said over to Kakashi.

Kakashi stopped explaining something to Naruto and stared at Yamato.

"Why? Did something happen?"

Tukiko, Sai, and Sakura had walked over to them just in time to hear these words.

"I'm afraid Asuma Sarutobi...has been killed in battle."

Tukiko, Naruto, and Sakura gasped. Tukiko's hand went to her mouth in shock. Asuma...was dead? She shook her head, tears threatening to fall. Asuma was one of her comrades and one of her friends. He was like a father to her like Kakashi was when she became a jonin. She glanced over to Kakashi to see his crest fallen expression. She knew he was feeling the same way as her right now. The rain started to fall from the grey sky. Tukiko let loose a few stray tears, her head hung and her hair blocking her eyes. The raindrops masked her tears, invisible to the world.

---

Two days later, all of Asuma's close friends were standing on the newly dug grave of their comrade. Tukiko stood beside Chouji and Ino. Chouji was holding a crying Ino. Tukiko bit her lip from crying like Ino. She bit it so hard and her fists were clenched to the point where her nails broke through her skin.

This...this wasn't fair...She lost yet another comrade...another friend...She had thought that she would never lose more of her friends after a failed mission she led during her ANBU days. This wasn't fair. But such is the life of a shinobi. She shook her head. She knew that was their life style; to live in danger every single day and see death every now and then frequently but...she could not accept any of her comrades' deaths. It hurt her deeply to know that another one had died. It only made things reappear in her memory that she did not want to remember.

Tukiko closed her eyes, starting to remember the first time she had seen a comrade die. It was when she was still a new ANBU. She had been assigned to lead a team of four to track down an S-ranked rouge ninja that was terrorizing civilians in towns in the Fire country. They had encountered the ninja and tried to kill him. They were warned to be careful for the man was an expert in poisons. Tukiko had momentarily forgotten this and charged right in by herself. This was a mistake for the ninja put an oderless poison into the air that made her paralyzed for a short time. She couldn't move. The ninja threw a poisoned spear towards her. Tukiko thought it was almost the end for her when one of her comrades got in the way and took the blow for her. The spear hit him right near the heart and added with the poison...He died that day even if they killed the rouge ninja. It was even worse considering her comrade was also a friend that helped her through the trails of being an ANBU. They were in the same team when she started out. Tukiko blamed herself for his death and promised herself that she would never have another comrade die. That promise was broken now that Asuma was dead.

A small sob left her lips as she thought back to all the times she spent with Asuma. They were good times. Like when she had become the first out of the kids her age to become jonin, all of the jonin senseis thought it was appropriate to treat her out. Tukiko was dragged to a bar of all places. Kakashi and Asuma told her that now that she was a jonin, she was considered adult enough to be permitted to drink. Kurenai protested against it but Anko and Asuma let her have a few shots. Asuma made her take a shot. The alcohol burned through her throat. That was the first and last time she would _ever_ drink alcohol but Asuma told her that she would get used to it. She thought that Asuma was crazy but appreciated the thought.

_Stupid Asuma...You even tried to get me to smoke! _A smile broke out when she thought of that. It fell when she knew that he would never again make her do things that considered her an adult. _I can't believe you were killed by two Akatsuki members of all people! You have no idea how much you're hurting Ino, Shikarmaru, Chouji, Kakashi, even Kurenai..._

And speaking of Shikamaru...

Tukiko lifted her head and peered around the funeral party. She had seen every single person that Asuma knew but she had not seen the student that Asuma so valued and bragged about when she was there: Shikamaru. She glanced around more feverently then lifted an eyebrow. She had not seen hide nor hair of that spikey ponytailed boy. Where was he? Shouldn't he be there? When she didn't spot him, she just decided to go look for him. She broke out of the party and used her _Shunshin no jutsu_ to go to the one place she thought where he could be.

She appeared on a grassy hill where it overlooked the village down below. Tukiko didn't have to look hard when she saw Shikamaru lying on his back in his black funeral clothes. He was smoking a cigerette. She smiled a sad smile as she walked over to him. He sensed her approaching and looked up.

"Hey," Tukiko said in greeting.

"Hey." Shikamaru turned his head back, staring at the sky. He didn't say anything as Tukiko sat beside him, hugging her knees with her arms.

The two were silent for sometime. Tukiko could bare the silence just for now. Shikmaru was still upset about Asuma by what she could tell. But they had to talk about Asuma some time. A few minutes passed. That was when Tukiko decided to speak.

"You know," she started. "You should really be at the funeral session. Everyone's expecting you to."

"I guess," Shikamaru muttered. He took out the cigerette and blew out a cloud of smoke.

Tukiko raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you smoke."

"Just started."

"I thought you didn't like it either because the smoke gets in your eyes."

"Got used to it."

She let out a sigh. This was getting her nowhere. Shikamaru wouldn't speak more than a few syllables. She would have thought that he was Sasuke or something.

"Shikamaru, I know...you're sad about Asuma-san," Tukiko muttered. She laid her chin on her knees, hugging near her ankles. "You shouldn't be. Asuma-san lived a good life. He'd done things that the village would have been proud of."

"Yeah, but he had more things to do before he should have died," Shikamaru said loud enough for her to hear.

"He might have but that doesn't mean we should mourn over his death for this long. Other people can pick up where he left off."

"What? You mean me taking care of his unborn kid now that he's dead!?"

Tukiko jumped when Shikamaru raised his voice at her. She was even more so when hearing what he just said.

"Unborn...child? Who...?"

Shikamaru sighed, sitting up. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "Sorry. I shouldn't have yelled out like that...But yes...When Kurenai has her and Asuma's child, I will be it's sensei when it is older."

"You mean Kurenai's pregnant?" She gasped. She had no idea they were expecting. She knew that Asuma and Kurenai had gotten married just last year though she didn't attend the ceremony herself. She was off on a mission. But she had no idea they were going to have a child! But now that Asuma was dead...Kurenai had to raise the child by herself now. Tukiko stared at the ground. "I had no idea."

"Yeah..." Shikamaru seemed really upset and happy that he was the one appointed with watching over the child. He narrowed his eyes at the ground. "But Asuma-sensei can't rest in peace and neither can I when the Akatsuki member that killed him is still out there."

Tukiko tensed up at the tone of voice that he had taken on when he said that last part. She stared at him in disbelief. "Shikamaru...please don't tell me you're out for revenge against this Akatsuki member."

He sighed yet again. "I know that you don't like the whole 'revenge' idea but I've made up my mind. I'm going to go out and kill him to avenge Asuma."

"But Shikamaru...!" She couldn't believe that he would suggest that. He couldn't be out for revenge! She was sick and tired of people she knew being out for revenge. She was just sick of it. She had enough of this from Sasuke as it was. She couldn't bare to see another friend of hers go through this revenge process because a loved one of theirs died. "You can't be serious. I had thought you of all people would know this. I just can't stand to watch you do this. If you do-" A hand clamped over hers stopped her from speaking. She glanced at Shikamaru with a questioning look in her eyes. They were also pleading.

"Don't worry, Tukiko. I'm only going to do this one time. I'm not going to become power hungry like Sasuke was." Shikamaru knew how much Tukiko didn't like revenge. It was because of revenge that her twin brother was gone and it hurt her too much. He wasn't doing this because he wanted to. It was just something he had to do. "Ino and Chouji agree with me too. We're going to go out and hung out those Akatsuki members that killed Asuma. We'll be back."

Tukiko removed the hand on her mouth gently. She laid the hand down on the ground, hers on top of his. "But still, Shika. I can't help but be worried. This is Akatsuki we're talking about. They must have been something to kill Asuma!"

"Stop worrying. It's so troublesome. All of us will be just fine." He laid his other hand on top of hers. He stared at her with a look that said I've-made-up-my-mind. "Besides, your stubborn side made me become stubborn with this."

"Are you sure I can't convince you?"

He shook his head.

She sighed again. She just knew that Shikamaru was going to be stubborn about this. She was just really worried for her friends though. The Akatsuki were powerful, there was no doubt about that. Deidara and Itachi always told them that they were powerful and strange. Even the members were strange themselves. She was even told about one where he was immortal and nothing could kill him. But Tukiko was worried her friends would get killed. Asuma dying made her realize she couldn't lose anymore people. She couldn't just stand by and let them get hurt! She bit her lip, making a quick choice. Tukiko stared at Shikamaru, a firm look on her face.

"Then let me come with you to avenge Asuma." She smiled ruefully. "I _am_ an Uchiha, after all. If there's one thing about us, it's that we're _always_ out for revenge."

---

And that's where I end it. Don't know if this chapter is good or not since I had a minor writer's block at the beginning. Oh, and if you want to know what game that Tukiko and Sai were playing was, its called The alphabet game. I got the inspiration while watching Xxxholic. The rules are a bit different but generally the same.

I know this is off topic and everything but I was recently reminded of why I hated Orochimaru in the first place. I've been recently watching the dubbed episodes of Naruto where it's at the Chunin Exams and I was watching the part where Orochimaru comes in. I was totally disgusted by how he kept licking his lips and how he swallowed that Earth scroll whole! I practically shuddered. Ugh! Now I got the willies remembering it. Why in the world did I think for a single second that I could have liked him!?

Bleh, I'm all creeped out right now. Please review!


	8. Getting even

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 8

"So what's the plan, Shika?" Tukiko asked Shikamaru. They, with Chouji, Ino, and Kakashi there, were in in the middle of a forest some ways from Konoha. They had stopped to discuss the plan that Shikamaru had come up with. Originally, they weren't supposed to have Kakashi but when they were leaving they were caught by Tsunade. She had tried to tell them they were being foolish to go and get even with the Akatsuki members. Tukiko retailiated with her own by saying that she could handle the team herself. Tsunade knew that couldn't be true because these Akatsuki members were powerful. Kakashi had then appeared saying he would go to make sure that nothing horrible was going to happen. He also knew that Tukiko could not handle herself with Team ten. When hearing that Kakashi was going with them, Tsunade let them go.

"Now that Kakashi has joined us, I want to change the plan a bit," Shikamaru told them. Kakashi and Tukiko nodded. "I will explain it by dividing this into several scenarios. Make sure all of you listen carefully." He then began to tell them all sorts of plans he had come up with for different scenarios he had come up with. Once again, Tukiko was amazed by Shikamaru's skill. He could come up with many different plans when he just met the person once! She was impressed that Shikamaru had changed from that complaining boy she had met three years ago. He was more than that. She listened attentively as Shikamaru explained a few. He ended it by giving Kakashi a small syringe. "Kakashi-sensei, hold onto that. Please use it when there's an opening. Tukiko, you help him with that, got it?"

"Got it."

"I'm impressed at how much you observed your opponent from just one encounter," Kakashi praised Shikamaru. He took the syringe and pocketed it.

"But the other one's power is still unknown. That's the plan I developed with the limited information I had." He glanced at all of them. "After you memorize the plans, simulate them in your head three times or more. The sucess rate of the plan highly depends on whether or not you do image training."

They all nodded. Tukiko grinned a sly grin.

"Besides, you just gave me a good excuse to try out my new jutsu that I've been working on for a year now," she told him. "I've been wanting to try it out but never got the chance to. This will be fun."

Shikamaru nodded. Whatever was going to help with the mission was fine by him.

The group stood to their feet to go track down where these two Akatsuki members could have gone. They disappeared into the forest. They ran sometime through the forest. Shikamaru suspected that they would be in between the Fire Temple and the Collection office that they fought at. He also thought they were going to head for Konoha next and they might use the back way. So Team ten plus Kakashi and Tukiko ran through the forest to where there was a slight wasteland. Dead mangled trees with no leaves nor grass was where they suspected the Akatsuki members to be. They found nothing though. Shikamaru told Ino to use her _Mind transfer jutsu_ to get inside a bird's head to scope out the area. She did just that. Ino used her jutsu and her body lost consiousness. They all waited for her return. A little while later, Ino came back and told them that the Akatsuki members were heading for Konoha and they would be there in ten minutes. When learning this, all of them hid to get into position for ambush.

Tukiko hid expertly in the trees as the Akatsuki members approached the location. She saw Shikamaru's shadow lurk onto them. They seemed to have noticed because they jumped out of the way. What they didn't expect were the kunai tied to explosion notes head their way. The two were somehow able to survive the explosions. Shikamaru leapt into the air to throw two more kunais with explosion notes at them. Tukiko smirked, knowing that those were fake and the kunai were Chakra blades, just like the material of her katana was made out of but specialized in lightning attributes. The two members fell for it, thinking that they were real. They moved their heads to dodge the kunai and the kunai landed on their shadows. Her smirk grew wider.

_All according to plan._

Shikamaru used his _Shadow possession jutsu_ to take the guy with the silver hair and his half ripped Akatsuki cloak's shadow. He then forced the other to get his scythe and attack the his partner with the green eyes. He swung his scythe at him but she was surprised when the guy actually was able to dodge it. Her Sharingan eyes flickered to the Chakra blade that was supposed to be holding him to see a hand had broke out of the ground to grab the Chakra blade and release him at the last second. She made a face at the threads that held onto the hand.

_Yuck! Deidara and Aniki weren't kidding when they said Akatsuki was made up of freaks and weirdos. Just take Deidara for example! _Tukiko knew that he belonged there because he had mouths on the palms of his hands and another mouth on his chest. _That group is _so_ weird. Sometimes I wonder why Deidara feels at home with them._

Tukiko continued to watch as Shikamaru made the scythe guy swing his scythe around at his partner, driving him back to a tree. It was the tree where Chouji was waiting. When his back hit the tree, Chouji ran down using one of his jutsus. "_Spikey human boulder!"_ Chouji was able to hit the Akatsuki member but Tukiko was able to see with her eyes that the man had formed a hand seal at the last second. To her, it looked like an earth type hand seal. She knew Kakashi had seen this too. She wasn't very surprised as the guy had gotten up after being hit and unscanthes as well. She bit her cheek on the inside. Shoot. The guy could harden his body with a jutsu! Well, wasn't that just great? She saw that they were about to counterattack when Kakashi yelled out, "_Raikiri!"_ He appeared behind the guy and stabbed his chest with his lightning clad hand. Kakashi brought his hand out while secretly, he stabbed the Akatsuki guy with the small syringe to get his blood. When that was done, the guy's body fell to the ground.

_Go Kakashi!_ Tukiko knew that earth types were no use against lightning types. Lightning always won. So this was an advantage for the both of them. _Just in time too. Shikamaru's jutsu was wearing off._

Just when Kakashi advanced on the scythe guys, Tukiko was shocked as the other one had gotten up and kicked Kakashi back into a tree. She was even more freaked out when the guy removed his cloak to reveal four masks on his back with stitches all over his body. He released the masks off of his back just when Shikamaru's jutsu wore off. The masks on the stitched guy's back finally took form. They had bodies that looked like black thread! Right now, Tukiko was freaking out. How the heck had that guy with the stitches been able to survive Kakashi's _Raikiri?!_ She was sure it had hit him in a vital spot! What was going on? And just what were those things? One of them looked ready to attack. Instead, it only dispersed into black goo on the ground. Now Tukiko was more confused than she could in her lifetime. Then she figured it out.

When Kakashi had hit that guy with his _Raikiri_, it must have been hitting the mask that just turned into goo. That was a start to something.

Tukiko didn't have time to think when scythe guy, free from Shikamaru's jutsu, attacked Kakashi. Kakashi pulled out a kunai and held up his defense against him. Then out of nowhere, one of the thread monsters (as Tukiko now dubbed them) had jumped behind Scythe guy and used a wind type jutsu, to her surprise. It blew Scythe guy, Kakashi and everything in it's path back, destroying almost everything. Tukiko had to cover her eyes from being hit by random debris. What she couldn't believe out of these guys was that Scythe guy's partner had the decency to hit him as well! His own partner was hit by it! How could he do that? Weren't they partners? Then she remembered something that Shikamaru told her. She cursed under her breath.

_No way! This guy is that immortal guy that Deidara told me about!_ This guy was immortal so it didn't matter if he was hit. It wasn't like he was going to die from it. Tukiko wracked her brain for the info Deidara told her about this guy. _Let's see...He's hot headed, he's supposed to be religious to something called Jashin, he can't die...Ugh! I wished I asked Deidara more on this!_

Through her remembering, Tukiko noticed that one of the other thread monters looked ready to use an attack. What was worse was that Shikamaru and Chouji were right in front of it. Her eyes widened as she leapt to her feet to go help them before it was too late.

_"Lightning style: False darkness!"_ The attack burst out to hit Shikamaru and Chouji. Shikamaru tried to use a scroll to protect them but couldn't make it in time. Tukiko used chakra to burst her feet to go faster. She appeared in front of the two with her katana out to block it. She gritted her teeth as the attack hit her katana. By the momentum of the attack, she was pushed back slightly. She pushed against the attack with her katana with all her might.

"Tukiko!" Shikamaru and Chouji cried out. They thought that she was going to get hurt! Luckily for them, she didn't. The attack dispersed and Tukiko had slid all the way back to Shikamaru and Chouji. Tukiko let out a sigh of relief. Kakashi and Ino appeared next to her. "Are you alright?" Ino asked her. She nodded.

"I'm fine. No lightning attacks can get through me that easily." Tukiko swiped her sword, the energy from that attack making her katana crackle with electricity. She glared at the stitched man with her Sharingan eyes. She was curious about something. Why had that guy been able to use lightning attacks when it was clear he used earth jutsus? And what was with that wind type jutsu from earlier? No person should be able to have _that_ many chakra natures. It was impossible.

"Hey, what's with the hot girl with the Sharingan?" Scythe guy asked, appearing next to his partner. "Isn't that pansy Itachi and his brother supposed to be the only ones with that ability?"

Tukiko blushed as red as her eyes, meaning she was pissed. "What!? Don't call me hot, you stupid masochistic jerk! I'm going to kill you and make you burn in hell if you dare call me that again!" It was bad enough that guys started to get attracted to her when she started to develop more but this was enough! She was being called 'hot' by one of her brother and boyfriend's collegues!

"Ah, now I know her," the stitched man said. "She's one of the people on the bounty list. Supposed to have a high bounty on her head. As much as that other Konoha ninja you killed the other day." Tukiko raised an eyebrow at that. As much as Asuma's? That was a lot! "Nicknamed 'The bloody swallow' for killing criminals quickly before they knew it and having the Sharingan...Also, she's Itachi's little sister...Tukiko Uchiha."

"What?! That pansy of an Uchiha has a little sister _this_ hot!?" Scythe guy exclaimed. "If I had known, I would have felt bad that I'm going to kill and sacrifice that hot peice of ass to Jashin!"

"Okay, that does it!" Tukiko felt like lunging at the guy right now and just _Chidori_ his butt off! But when the stitched guy made a hand sign that was the fire natures, she stopped. Another thread monster came up and the guy yelled, "_Fire style: Searing Migraine_!"

Flames burst from the monster's mouth. They all gasped at the huge cloud of fire headed for them. They all moved before they were hit and barely made it. Everything was seared from the flames. When Tukiko leaped out of the smoke, she sensed someone coming at her and raised her katana to defend. Her blade met another blade in a loud clang. She looked up to see it was Scythe guy. He swung down at her but she defended yet again. He kept swinging at her while Tukiko kept dodging or blocking every single one. Tukiko leapt onto a tree where he started to chase her up the tree, swinging at her. At the very top, they met in a clang. They both landed on the ground some ways from each other. Tukiko panted, flipping her bangs out of her eyes. Her hair was down that day. She just wished she should have tied it up earlier! It was getting in the way!

"Not bad for a hot girl like you," Scythe girl said to her.

Tukiko glared at the guy, stamping her foot on the ground. "Damnit! Stop calling me hot! I'm taken if you have to know! I don't go for idiots that just won't seem to die!"

He chuckled. "Feisty. Just the way I like them."

She was seething at this point. Everyone appeared behind her, asking if she was alright. She wasn't alright by the way she was glaring at Scythe guy for calling her hot four times already and yet he was not dead yet. Ino knew that Tukiko hated to be called out and if she was, the guy would end up in the hospital. It was going to be rough for this guy.

"Damn bastard. Why won't either of them die!?" she hissed out angrily.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei hit him with _Raikiri_," Chouji mentioned. "Why isn't he dead yet?"

Kakashi nodded. "I'm sure I crushed his heart. He really should be dead. But what I killed was one of the monsters that came out of his body. We can assume that it died in place of his real body."

"It was the same when he broke my _Shadow Possesion Shuriken jutsu_," Shikamaru said. "Something that looked like a heart was attached to the arm that had been sepearted from his body and it was moving on his own."

"What does...that mean?" Chouji asked.

"It means that each of the monster that this guy has and including his body, each have a heart and they all belong to him," Tukiko finished for Shikamaru. "In total, this guy has five hearts."

"What?!" Ino and Chouji gasped. "How is that possible?"

"However, he lost one of them to Sensei's _Raikiri_ just now though," Shikamaru said to them.

"Then that means we have to crush his other four hearts in order to take him out completely?" Ino asked.

They both nodded.

"You're very perceptive," Stitch guy told them. "That's exactly right. I took each of these hearts from Shinobi I once fought. I can always replenish my stock with your hearts."

They gasped in horror. He couldn't be serious, could he? But just by the seriousness in his eyes, he was.

"By the way, does Konoha bury their dead?" Scythe guy asked. "Burials are a pain in the neck. I bet Kakuzu's going to say, 'We're going to dig up the body and exchange him for money.' And here I thought I could have some fun with that bearded jerk. He was nothing special, after all."

"We won't need to dig him up when we have someone else to take his place," Stitch guy (now called Kakuzu by what Tukiko could guess) said to his partner. He stared at Tukiko as he said this. "She could be worth more than that guy was. Itachi will also thank us for getting rid of one of his pesky siblings. Plus you're one to talk with his head chopped off."

"What!?" Tukiko was shocked. They were obviously talking about him. She knew her head was worth a lot with bounty hunters since she was one of the last Uchiha and the weakest at that. Plus, she made a name for herself that was feared by all. There was no way she was going to live against this guy though.

"Shut up. You keep quiet!" Scythe yelled at his partner. He calmed down and smirked at them. "I bet you guys want revenge, huh? Too bad that you're too weak for that. You're his students, right? You won't get any stronger when you had a weak scum like that for a teacher. "

"Don't insult Asuma-sensei!" Chouji yelled out.

"Beautiful loving bonds between student and teacher, huh? How stupid!" Scythe guy continued, hauling his scythe over his shoulder.

Chouji started to get red in the face with anger. Shikamaru tried to hold him back but what the Akatsuki guy said next drove him over the edge.

"What's so great about an idiot like that, Fatty?"

That did it. Chouji charged at him with his _Expansion jutsu _sin his arms. Scythe guy smirked and swung his scythe. He was surprised when Chouji wasn't even in range. He was actually being held back by Shikamaru with his jutsu. But then Scythe guy lunged at Chouji, swinging his weapon down. Kakashi had stopped him, though, with a kunai. He was kicked in the stomach and sent flying down to the ground. He landed on his feet with Scythe guy hot on his tail. Shikamaru released Chouji from his jutsu. Tukiko sighed with relief but stopped mid-way when Kakuzu appeared in front of Chouji. Chouji punched at him but Kakuzu only blocked it. He retailiated by punching Chouji down to over one of the trees. Chouji wasn't even given room to breath when Kakuzu appeared in front of him again. He kicked him into the tree bark behind him.

"Chouji!" All of them cried out. Kakuzu dragged Chouji out of the bark face down on the ground. His hand turned black and he was about to kill him when Ino threw shuriken. He dodged it easily and jumped back when Shikamaru tried to use his jutsu on him. Shikamaru was distracted when that lightning mask came out of nowhere and attacked him. Tukiko almost ran over to help him when she heard Ino scream. She turned to her to see that Kakuzu's hand was around her throat. His other hand went out to grab Chouji by the throat as well and dragged the two of them towards him. Tukiko growled and charged at him, blade first. "You bastard!"

Tukiko swung her blade down on the threads. They detached from each other before the blade even hit. Tukiko saw that the hand was away from the body. Now was her chance. She sheathed her sword just as she punched at Kakuzu. He was able to dodge it but couldn't do anything to attack her if he wanted to let go of his two victims. He was rather confused when the girl suddenly laughed. She smirked at him. "Do you realize something?" Her smirk grew wider. "You're in my range which means you can't escape." Tukiko slid into a postition that resembled very closely to that of the Hyuga's Gentle Fist style. Her Sharingan eyes flickered all across his body to where his Chakra points were. She noticed them in a flash. She sent her _Chidori_ through out her body as she started to get into position.

"_Chidori Fist: Eight trigram sixty-four palm_!" She launched herself at Kakuzu, rotating her body as she did so. Her hands started to move in a flash towards his Chakra points. "Two palm!" She hit two chakra points, making him stumble back. "Four palm!" She striked again, hitting four more. "Eight palm!" She hit eight more. She began to move faster as she hit the chakra points as she called them out. "Sixteen palm! Thirty-two palm! Sixty-four palm!" At that last one, she hit one last chakra point. Kakuzu stumbled back, releasing his victims as he did so. He coughed up blood, his breathing matching that of Tukiko's. He winced, staring at the girl. His body felt somewhat heavy all of a sudden.

"Wh-What did you-"

"I hit all sixty-four of your chakra points," Tukiko breathed out. "It wasn't effective as the Hyuga Gentle Fist style but it still worked."

_Heh. I finally got it!_

This was the jutsu that Tukiko had developed in over a year. Her version of the _Gentle Fist_ style of the Hyugas. She had first thought of this jutsu last year as she watched Neji train his fighting style. As she watched, she began to wonder if she could somehow make someone incapable of using their chakra as well by using her _Chidori_. She asked Neji if she could somehow do this and he said she could use that attack to substitute for the capablilties a Hyuga needed to do that style of fighting. But before she could even learn more about that, she needed to ask the Hyuga leader for permission. She did so and at first he told her no. Only Hyugas were capable of doing that fighting style. Tukiko argued that if she tried she could do that. Hiashi saw how determined she was to prove him wrong and just let her do as she pleased. Then she and Neji began to train. Neji showed her where a person's chakra points were by painting them on her own body. Tukiko memorized everything with her Sharingan then worked to put the _Chidori_ onto her finger tips. That wasn't hard but the next part was. She had to learn the fighting style and the postions which she could not get. It took many months before she was able to apply her _Chidori_ to her fingertips then strike at the enemy to make them incapable of using their chakra. Since she had only recently perfected it, it was still weak and not up to full par.

Kakuzu suddenly couldn't breathe. He winced, doubling over and landing on the ground. He vaguely knew that Tukiko used a lightning base attack during her jutsu before he lost consiousness. His heart stopped beating as well.

Tukiko panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. She also felt so sleepy all of a sudden. That was the after effects of using that jutsu. That jutsu took up all of her chakra, making her unable to fight anymore. It happened all the time when she was still practicing it with Neji so she could only use it once a day. That was pathetic. It was like when she was first using_ Chidori_ where she only could make one shot. That was when she was twelve. Now fifteen, she could make at least five shots and still have enough left over. But that jutsu...

She was caught off guard when a hand shot out to grab at her throat. She began to choke, grabbing at the hand to release her. It also felt like her body was being dragged. She was lifted into the air. Opening a closed eye, she was shocked to see Kakuzu standing there strangling her with one hand. "H-How...?" she choked out. He was supposed to be dead! She hit all of his chakra points! She _knew_ that he was supposed to be dead! How was he still alive?

"Didn't you listen before? I have three more hearts left now that you killed another of my hearts," Kakuzu said. "Your heart will do nicely to replace the one you killed. Then I can exchange your body for money. Now die." His grip on her throat tightened. It closed the airway in her throat, making Tukiko unable to breathe. She flailed, kicking her legs and scratching at the hand that held her throat. She couldn't breathe! It was starting to hurt so badly. This wasn't the way she was supposed to end! She still wanted..."D-Dei...dara," she choked out. She was starting to lose consiouness and she couldn't move anymore. She fell limp but she was still alive.

Suddenly, the fingers on her throat realeased her. Tukiko dropped down to the ground to feel something wet seep through her clothes. Then someone grabbed her and carried her somewhere. She was put down on the ground, closely noting the voices around her.

"Is she okay?"

"Tukiko, wake up!"

At those voices, Tukiko opened her eyes, forcing herself to breathe. She took a gulp full of air like a fish that was out of water and began to cough wildly. She was helped up to sit up so she could breathe more easily. After a minute, the coughing stopping. She was only able to open her eyes to see everyone staring at her in concern when she lost consiousness yet again.

---

Okay, so posting another chapter up this week. Just wanted to get this one out of the way because things sort of important to the plot happen in the next chapter. Plus, I desperately hope that none of you think that it will be way too fluffy because I think I did make it like that.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please review!


	9. Proposal

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 9

It was nighttime in Konoha. In a certain ramen stand, Tukiko Uchiha sat by Sakura and Sai, sulking. She was frowning at the table, sulking. Sakura saw that her friend was quiet and asked, "What's wrong?"

Tukiko shook her head. She had been feeling like this ever since she had woken up from when she had fainted from the battle with the Akatsuki members. She had fainted just because she was out of chakra. Plus with almost being choked to death made her faint all together. She couldn't believe that she couldn't do more. A hand gingerly touched the purplish brusies that looked like fingers around her throat. She flinched when she pressed too hard. Those marks were so purple that it could be seen if she faced a person. These were just a gift of when she was almost strangled to death.

When Tukiko had fainted, Shikamaru was able to use Kakuzu's blood for his partner to use unknowingly. The guy had taken his blood and stabbed himself in the chest. When he did, he ended up killing his parnter and not Shikamaru. The guy was then down to two hearts now. But then Kakashi, Ino, and Chouji were somehow trapped when the thread monsters got to them. She wondered how Kakuzu could move when the heart in his body was killed. Kakashi told her that a mask can go into the body and he could move again. That explained how he was able to strangale Tukiko when she thought he was dead. Then she heard that Team Kakashi had come in to the rescue. Naruto had finished his jutsu quickly and used it against Kakuzu. He took out the last two of his hearts with one shot! That was amazing for Naruto. Over with Shikamaru, he had buried Hidan in a hole in his family's forest since the guy was immortal. He was not able to get out of the hole and never would.

Tukiko felt bad that she couldn't have done more. All she did was faint after almost being strangled.

Sakura knew that Tukiko wasn't fine. She put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're fine? You're not upset that you couldn't do more?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Sakura." Tukiko placed her money on the table. "Look, I have to go. I'll see you in a two weeks."

"Two weeks? Where are you going?" Sai asked her.

"I got a mission from Tsunade to go on an assassination mission over in Wave country. I have to go by myself." Tukiko scowled. Just two days after the whole Akatsuki battles, Tsunade told her she had to go on a solo mission in Wave country. It was to kill some guy that was from Mizu and was a part of the council. Word had it he was also a secret gang leader. So Tukiko had to kill him. It was going to be the first solo mission she's had since ANBU. She stood up and raised her hand in goodbye. Sakura and Sai watched her leave.

"She's acting like Sasuke now," Sai mentioned. "Does she do that often?"

"Only when she's mad, guilty, or sulking," Sakura told him. Tukiko was only quiet and cold when she was in that certain mood. It was a bit hurtful when she started to be like Sasuke unintentionally. Guess those were the effects of being his twin. "I just hope she'll be fine on her mission. I have a bad feeling all of a sudden."

Sai believed that her bad feeling was right. When that happened, it was also worse than they imagined.

---

Tukiko walked through the empty streets of her Uchiha compound. It was really depressing around that time when it was dark. None of the lights were on so it was strange and sad to walk through the streets. All of these homes were once filled with light, only now filled with darkness. She sighed. She didn't want to get to get all sulky now. She couldn't stand being like Sasuke when he was acting cold to her. She couldn't understand it. What was with her mood all of a sudden? She should be glad that they were all able to survive the Akatsuki fights. Sure, Naruto was still in the hospital but still fine overall.

She was by her home by this time. Entering her home, Tukiko took off her shoes and headed to her bedroom. All she wanted was sleep and she wanted it now. She opened the door to her bedroom and turned on the lights to be only surprised.

There on her bed was a nineteen year old young man lying on his stomach face down. His long blond hair was down while the left side of his face was covered with his bangs. The man had his head down, using his arms as his pillow. Soft snores filled the room. Over on one of the chairs was an Akatsuki cloak and bags full of clay. The man did not wake when the lights were turned on.

Tukiko raised an eyebrow at the man. A part of her thought that he looked so sweet and angelic. She didn't want to disturb him but she had to. She walked over to the man and touched his shoulder gently. "Deidara-kun...time to wake up."

The man grumbled, covering his face with his hand.

She sighed. There was no way she could get her boyfriend up unless...A sly smile crossed her lips and she leaned down to his ear.

"Deidara-kun...wakey wakey," Tukiko said seductively. This was a tone that she had learned to copy after she had gained her voice back. She thought it could help for seduction missions and such. "Kiko-chan is here to make it worth your while..." she nibbled on his earlobe, earning a groan from him.

"Tukiko..." Deidara suddenly grabbed onto Tukiko's face and kissed her fully on the lips. Tukiko blushed, not expecting this. She tried to resist the pleasure of the kiss but it was Deidara she was talking about. This guy could make Tukiko just melt in his arms.

_Must...resist....sexy...boyfriend...Can't...find....will..._

Eyelids fluttered close over cloudy grey eyes. She gave into Deidara, kissing him back with the same force. Deidara's arms encircled her, pressing their bodies together. They were on the bed by now, Tukiko lying on her back. By this time, the kiss became intense like there was electricity crackling between the two. She couldn't stop. Deidara was so addicting; her own personal drug. It was like she could forget everything that was happening and just concentrate on now. That was ended when she started to feel hands roaming down her body. Something licked on every part of her body that showed skin which was alot. A shiver went up her spine. She was wearing shorts and a tanktop so that was alot of skin. When they started to go below the waist, Tukiko blushed a deep red, her senses going on overdrive. Survival instinct kicked in as her chakra reacted violently.

"Ah!" Tukiko couldn't control her chakra as blue-white electricity zapped off her body. The chakra zapped Deidara, making him jump and fall off the bed. There was a groan from the man. Tukiko gasped, realizing what she just did. Looking over the edge of the bed, she saw that he was on the floor. He rubbed his head, groaning. "I'm _so_ sorry!"

"Damn. They weren't kidding when your senses turn electric when you get intimate, hm," Deidara said. He picked himself up and knelt down by the bed. He grinned at Tukiko. "Though it wasn't that bad of a kiss."

Tukiko turned red as a tomato then she realized what he said. She glared at him though not as cold as they usually were. Instead, they were playful. "Deidara-kun, you were awake when I got here, weren't you?"

He kept up that devious grin. "You know when I can sense you. I'm not an S-ranked criminal for nothing, yeah."

"You're horrible!" She poked him on the nose, pouting. "Stop trying to molest me every chance you get," she said in a babyish tone. He laughed, going up to kiss her nose.

"So the rumor's true, huh? It's so great to hear your voice again, hm. Sounds more sexier than before. I didn't want to have sex when you're mute. It'd be so great to hear your voice moaning my name over and over-" He flinched when Tukiko punched him on the shoulder. Her punchs were hard but that was what he loved about her.

"Deidara! You know I'm not going to have sex until we're engaged or married. And you're sick!" There was a reddish blush on her face when she thought about what he said. She wouldn't mind trying out sex. She wondered what it felt like. She almost smacked herself.

_Stop dirty thoughts!_ _Ugh, Kakashi's getting to me with his stupid perverted stuff._

She shook her head, trying to rid her thoughts of that. Then she laid on her stomach on the bed, staring at her boyfriend with a smile. "So what are you doing here in Konoha?"

"What? I can't visit my girlfriend?" He got a serious look from Tukiko. He sighed. "Fine, fine. I just finished sealing two Bijuu a few days ago and I wanted to visit you. It's been so long since I've seen you." His eye started to wander down to see Tukiko's-ahem-cleavage (Deidara's is a hormonal guy! He's just acting his age.) when he saw the purple brusies on her throat. He narrowed his eyes. "What happened to your throat?"

Alarm bells started to sound Tukiko's head. She had been hoping to hide those from him! He would be pissed to know that one of his collegues did that to her. She lifted her hands to her throat casually, covering the brusies. "N-Nothing! J-Just a mission I went on."

"That doesn't look like nothing." Deidara reached up to remove her hands from her throat. She couldn't do anything and closed her eyes in shame when he stared at it. His blue eye scanned the bruises. He realized that the brusies wrapped around her throat like someone tried to strangle her. He gritted his teeth. Who the hell did this to her? "Tukiko, how did you get these bruises? And don't lie to me when you say you're fine, hm!"

Tukiko sighed. She could never lie to Deidara with all of her ANBU training behind her. Whenever she lied to him, she would look away from his eyes and twiddle her hands together. "I told you I went on a mission. But I went on a mission that involved the Akatsuki."

"What!?" Deidara was shocked. Tukiko had gotten hurt because she went on a mission that involved his organization. He almost felt guilty. He never thought she would get hurt. "Who did you get?"

"Some guy named Hidan and Kakuzu. They're dead now. I was able to take out one of Kakuzu's hearts while my team got the others. Shikamaru buried Hidan alive." Her fingers traced over her brusies. "Kakuzu tried to strangle me to death so that he could give my body to some bounty hunter. I'm worth more than Asuma, apparently."

Deidara was silent for awhile. He couldn't believe that those two were dead. And they tried to kill Tukiko. He felt bad that they were dead but he was pissed that they dared to almost kill his girlfriend. He was glad they were dead if they tried to do that. He chuckled, confusing Tukiko. "Well, at least you got one of Kakuzu's heart. No one has been able to kill one heart much less five, hm."

"Yeah. Naruto got two of his hearts in one shot."

He frowned. "That blond jinchurriki?" She nodded. "You know, I don't like that guy or your sensei. They disrespected my art and blew off my arms!"

"You know you deserved it because you captured one of my friends." Tukiko glared at her boyfriend. Ever since she learned that he was the one to kidnap Gaara, one of her best friends that was like a brother to her, she hadn't forgiven him for it. Gaara was her friend and he didn't deserve to die once. She was glad that he was able to survive but hadn't forgiven Deidara for that.

"Who's side are you on?"

Tukiko shrugged. "I'm a Konoha ninja, Deidara. It's my duty to serve my village. It's not my fault that you defected from yours." Her eyes became sad as she thought to that. "But I feel really guilty sneaking around their backs with you. But I don't regret it since I love you."

Deidara sighed. He knew that Tukiko didn't like being with him when he was a threat to their village and the rest of the Nations. She was fratenizing with the enemy. That made her guilty enough when she was expected to kill him on sight. He had to cheer her up somehow and he knew how exactly how to do it. He stood to his feet. Then he grabbed her hand and dragged her to stand to her feet. "Come on. You need to get ready."

Tukiko raised an eyebrow. "Where am I going?"

"Where are _we_ going," Deidara corrected her. He pushed her into her closet and locked her in there. Tukiko made a protest but he stopped her. "Put on something fancy. Something that can be nice for outside, hm."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Tukiko sighed, knowing that he wouldn't let her out until she did what she was told. She got out of her clothes, putting on something fancy yet suitable.

Deidara waited outside the door for Tukiko to get ready. When he heard an "I'm done!", he let go of the door and let his girlfriend out. When Tukiko got out, his jaw dropped. She blushed when he saw his expression. "Is this good enough?"

He gave a simple nod. Too awestruck by how she looked. Tukiko changed into a strapless pure white dress with a piece of dark blue ribbon tied behind her back with a butterfly fashion. Her hair was down, a long piece of blue ribbon tied into her bangs and coming togther at the top of head in a bow. Her Uchiha choker was around her neck, covering her brusies. She wore no makeup since they weren't her style. On her feet were white flats that had white ribbons tied up to her ankles. Right now, Deidara thought she was an angel on Earth.

"So where are we going?" Tukiko asked, leaning against the doorway.

Deidara shook his head from the sight of his oh-so-smexy girlfriend. He walked into the bedroom with Tukiko behind him. He put on his Akatsuki stuff back on then grabbed a black blindfold. "That is something that I need to know and _you_ to find out, yeah."

"Okay." Tukiko rolled her eyes. Her eyes were not seen when Deidara tied the blindfold onto her. Deidara held onto Tukiko's arm and helped her stand up. He also helped her out her bedroom door and out the front door of her house. He let go of her for a second to put a genjutsu on himself. Where they were going was somewhere still in the village. He didn't need to be caught so he had to use one to make sure Tukiko wouldn't get in trouble. The genjutsu was placed, his image changing. His long blond hair started to turn brown and shortened to his chin. Blue sky eyes turned green the color of moss. His attire changed to a black tuxedo. This was a speacial occasion. He grabbed Tukiko's arm again and started to lead her out of the compound and into the forest near it. He knew a speacial place where it was. Tukiko gulped, afraid of tripping. "D-Don't make me trip, okay?"

"Of course. I'll never let go." Deidara knew that Tukiko was helpless if she didn't have her eyes. As an Uchiha, she was dependant on her eyes. She depened on them so much that she was almost afraid if she were blind. He hated that Uchihas were dependant on their eyes but sympathetic for his girlfriend. She was scared as it was. He held to her tight as they walked into the forest.

Deidara led her deep into the forest to a secret location he had discovered while snooping around the compound. It was only a short time when they arrived at the location. When they did, he dropped the genjutsu but kept the tuxedo. He grinned, holding Tukiko by the shoulders. "And we're here!"

"I can't see 'here' if this stupid blindfold is on me."

"Okay, okay." Deidara untied the blindfold but did not take it off just yet. "One...Two...Three!" He took off the blindfold and stepped to the side to see her reaction. He grinned at her reaction. Just exactly what he expected.

"O-Oh my..." Tukiko gasped. What she saw was so...amazing. Deidara had taken her to a small clearing near a pond in the forest of the Uchiha compound. She didn't know about this place even though she was near it. There were dozens of wildflowers around the clearing, surrounding one blank spot near the pond. The full moon shined down on the pond, it's reflection making an elegant picture on the water. Being a summer night, fireflies danced through the darkness, illuminating and guiding through the dark. In the middle of the blank spot was a blanket with a basket on top, two candles standing proudly in the dark. It was undescribable. Tears lined the edges of her eyes. She turned to Deidara. He smiled at her. "D-Did you do this?" she asked.

He nodded. "All for tonight. Come on." He took her hand and led her to the blanket. They both sat down. Deidara started to pull out food out of the basket and two dishes. He was amused as Tukiko looked around the place with awe. "Do you like it, hm?"

"Like it? I love it!"

"Good."

The food was finally ready and the two began to eat. Tukiko took a bite out of the grilled fish and smiled. "This is good!" She began to eat more, complimenting Deidara on the cooking. She knew that Deidara could cook on a somewhat good level since they used to take turns cooking when they were younger. Tonight's dinner was especially good.

Deidara watched with a happiness that he could only get with Tukiko around. He loved Tukiko and wanted to make her happy. With everything going on, he wanted to make her happy. He was ecstatic when Tukiko was more than happy with something as small as this.

They finished with dinner and cleaned up the mess. All of that done, the two merely sat by each other, Deidara holding her close. They face the pond, watching fireflies dance on the surface.

"You know, I like these times when it's just the two of us, yeah," Deidara mused. "Far away from everyone else...away from people who have expectations of us...Where we can be ourselves and not Akatsuki member and Konoha ninja..."

"Hm," Tukiko hummed. She put her head on his chest, staring out at the pond. The moon shined through to Tukiko's eyes. She closed them, taking a deep breath. She argreed with Deidara. They were always being pressured by people to do things their way. It was nice to be free from that...if only for a little while. She sighed in content. But something nagged her, making her ask something. "Deidara-kun? What's the real reason for tonight?"

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Because it's not everyday a girl's boyfriend does something as romantic as this without it being special."

"That's true." Deidara sighed. Then he took a deep breath. It was now or never. He gently stood up with Tukiko. Tukiko opened her eyes to stare up at him. He seemed really nervous about something. He took her heads as his blue eye stared at her lovingly. He took another deep breath. "Tukiko, remember how we first met? You were out in a thunderstorm just as I was heading back to the Iwa, yeah. When I first saw you, I thought that you were someone who was arrogant and cold. Hell, I thought you were a boy! But over time...as we started to get to know each other...I knew that you weren't that at all. You were someone who was warm and kind and just lonely. You were running away from something that you didn't want to do. All scared and alone..." He looked to the side with a dazed look. "But when we got closer to each other...I knew that you were going to be someone speacial to me one day. I was right, yeah. You became someone I wanted to care for and want to protect for the rest of my life. I was sort of depressed when you left after a year together. You promised me that you would break out of your contract and would be back to find me so we could be together. You kept your promise, hm. I was so happy when I found you again here in Konoha after two years. I was so hurt when I saw you cry after your twin brother left. I never wanted to leave you again but with me being in Akatsuki and you being our enemies..." He winced at that part. "Anyways, now that we've been together for two years, I want to tell you something." He took a deep breath and placed a light kiss on her lips. He pulled away, staring deeply into her grey eyes. "I've fallen for you, Tukiko Uchiha. I'm desperately in love with you that it hurts to be away from you. I love you more than my art, if that's far enough. I know that you think that I hate all Uchihas because of Itachi but I don't hate you. I never did. I never could hate you if I tried. If only I weren't in Akatsuki, we could be together. I wanted to wait until we were a bit older but I have a feeling I should do this now, yeah. So I want to ask..."

Deidara let go of her hands and pulled away from her. Tukiko was confused and wondered what he was doing. She gasped, a hand on her mouth, as Deidara knelt to the ground on one knee. He reached into his pocket to pull out a small black box. He opened the lid of the box to reveal a light sapphire stone nesting on a gold engagement band. Deidara looked up at her with expectant eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

---

Okay, that's where I end it. So, pretty surprising huh? Plus it was the first time I ever wrote something this fluffy. I can't do fluffy so I don't know if this was good or not.

Sorry, short note. Gotta go to school.

Please review and everyone have a good Halloween tomorrow cause I sure won't!


	10. Wave Country blues

Disclaimer: Squee! I don't own Naruto! If I did, this pairing would _so_ be in there!

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 10

"_Will you marry me?"_

Tukiko was speechless, her whole body stunned. She couldn't believe it. Deidara...was asking her to marry him? This was just a shock. No wonder he went to all this trouble to make this night so romantic. He also just admitted he was desperately in love with her. Tukiko felt the same way to Deidara but marriage? She had just gotten out of a marriage contract two years ago. Could she go through a marriage when she was only fifteen going sixteen? Her old engagement said that she was supposed to get married at the age of sixteen. Plus she and Itachi always said that sixteen was too young to get married. But this was Deidara! She bit her lip. She wanted to marry Deidara. She really did. But she didn't want to get married yet. Something else was telling her that she should accept the offer. She loved Deidara with all her heart. But still...Tukiko's mind told her no while her heart told her yes! She made her decision.

Deidara thought that Tukiko not answering right away was rejection. He sighed depressingly. He thought that she would say yes. "I understand if you don't want to get married yet. I'll just go-" He stopped short as warm lips were on his own, shutting him up. He was caught off guard.

"You're not going anywhere. I didn't answer yet," Tukiko muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Deidara brightened up with hope. "Really? Then what's your answer, hm?"

Tukiko rolled her eyes. "What do you think after that kiss? Of course I'll marry you!"

"Really?!" Deidara broke out into a full out smile. He pulled the two of them and spun Tukiko around, laughing happily. Then he set her down, kissing her with so much passion. Tukiko instantly wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Their bodies fit perfectly with each other, like a puzzle peice had joined to it's puzzlemate. After a few minutes, they finally pulled apart, breathing hard. Deidara put his forehead against Tukiko's, smiling ear to ear. "I promise I'll do _everything _to make you happy, yeah. I would never hurt you."

"I know." Tukiko giggled. She was so happy. All her life she wanted to marry someone who she loved with all her life instead of someone she didn't. This was probably the happiest she had ever been for her whole life. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Deidara. She would never regret this decision, ever. But she couldn't help but wonder something. She looked up at Deidara with a question in her eyes. "I have a question though. How exactly did you get _Aniki_ to agree to this? If you asked him at all, that is."

Deidara grimaced at the memory. Ugh. He hated to think about what happened when he asked Itachi for his permission. Since he was Tukiko's brother, she had to ask him for his blessing. It wasn't a pretty sight when he asked.

It was just after the sealing of the two tails and the three tails. They were dismissed to go do whatever it was when Deidara had to ask Itachi to speak with him privately. All of them wondered what Deidara wanted to ask the person he hated the most in all of the world. When they were alone, Deidara nervously started to ask Itachi for his blessing on marrying Tukiko. He was really nervous about his reaction because Itachi tended to...well...be overprotective of his little sister as much as Sasuke was before. When he asked, Itachi was pissed. He activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and used Tsukuyomi on him. He was trapped in there for a full seventy-two hours when in reality, it was only a second. Itachi, in the Tsukuyomi world, chased Deidara all over on a small island, getting ready to castrate him. Before the pain actually came, Deidara hastily yelled out that he loved Tukiko more than anything in the world. Itachi had stopped with his sword raised above his family jewels and glared at Deidara. He saw that Deidara was serious and released them from the genjutsu. Deidara was shocked when Itachi gave his blessing. Deidara knew it was because Itachi wanted his little sister to be happy for once. If Deidara was it, he would have to put up with it. Even if it meant that the blond would become his brother-in-law.

Tukiko giggled at how Deidara made a face when she mentioned that.

"I take it it didn't go well?"

"Let's just say I was lucky I didn't lose something important." Deidara shuddered. He leaned down and captured Tukiko's lips. Tukiko willingly gave into him. The kiss grew and grew until it was intense for the both of them.

(Use your imagination for what happens next. Cuz there's no way in _hell_ I'm writing that.)

---

Two days later, Tukiko was well on her way towards Wave country. She was going to get there quickly because of the rate she was going. Who could blame her? Tukiko was in the greatest mood she had ever been in. She was engaged to a man she loved with all her heart! Sure, their wedding would have to wait until all of this Akatsuki drama was over but she was willing to wait.

Tukiko was giggling happily as she got on the bridge that led to the town. She barely noticed the name of the bridge: The Great Naruto Bridge. She was so happy, toying with her engagement ring. It was on a thin long chain around her neck. If she kept it on her finger, all of her friends would start asking when she got the ring and who she was marrying. Then they would demand to see her fiance and that would lead to _a lot _of questions. Her shirt was able to hide her ring well enough. That day, she was not wearing her usual mission clothes for it was too hot. Instead, Tukiko was wearing a dark blue kimono style shirt with short sleeves. Instead of her long fingerless armguards, she wore the standard jonin fingerless steel backed gloves. She also wore white shorts. Her katana wasn't out since she saw no need to use it on this assassination mission.

_I'm getting married! I'm getting married!_

These were the thoughts Tukiko had for almost two days. She was so happy. Her eyes were in a daze as she walked into the town and through the streets. She held her ring in her fingertips, smiling at it. She couldn't replace this ring even if she could. Deidara knew what he was doing when he picked it out for her. Tukiko was far too distracted to notice she bumped into someone. She snapped out of her senses when she did.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I had no idea where I was going," Tukiko apologized to the man she bumped into.

The man grunted before walking away.

She raised an eyebrow at the guy's behavoir. That was weird. Shrugging, she was about to pick up her ring again when she felt nothing. She panicked, not feeling the semi-warm metal. She looked down to see that the ring wasn't there! She panicked, looking at the ground to see if she dropped it.

_Oh no! I just got that ring! Deidara is _so_ going to kill me if I lost that ring!_

He spent so much money on that ring for it to be special for her. If she lost it already, he would be devastated. She panicked again. Where could it have gone? She had it when that man bumped into her-

_That man!_

Tukiko turned around to see that guy she bumped into walking away hurridly. She growled, running at him. "Hey, you thief! Give back my ring!"

The man looked over his shoulder to see Tukiko running at him. Feeling alarmed, he turned to run for it. He didn't get far when he was suddenly knocked out on the ground. The last thing he saw was a pair of feet.

Tukiko slowed down as she saw a man about her age knock out the man who took her ring. The man had white hair and neon purple eyes. He also had sharp teeth like a shark. He knelt down to pick out something that the man on the ground had in his hand. There was a sparkle of light and a long chain. Tukiko ran over, worried that the guy was going to take it. But all the man did was turn the ring over in his hand.

"Hm. Nice ring. You shouldn't take something like this from a girl," he said to the unconsious man at his feet.

"Ah, excuse me?" Tukiko approached the man hesitantly. The man looked up to her. She smiled at him kindly. "May I have my ring back please?"

"Eh?" He blinked. Then held up the ring. "This yours?"

"Yes. This guy just bumped into me then stole it." She glared down at the guy that was at their feet. Then she smiled at the white haired man. "Thanks for knocking out this guy by the way. I could have gotten him but I'm still grateful. My name is Tukiko. What's yours?"

"Suigetsu," he said, handing over the ring. Tukiko gratefully took it and slipped the chain back over her neck. Then she let it fall near her shirt neckline so that it wouldn't be in sight. Then she bowed to Suigetsu.

"Thank you so much for getting my ring back, Suigetsu. How can I repay you?"

"Uh, you don't need to do anything. But that ring looked like an engagement ring. You getting married?"

She straightened back up, blushing. "Well...yeah. I know I look a bit young to be getting married but you never know these days when you're going to die what with being a shinobi."

"That's true." He looked at the top of her head where her haitai-ate was tied on like a headband; just like Sakura's. He raised an eyebrow at the symbol. "You a Konoha ninja?" She nodded. Suigetsu's purple eyes flickered just behind him. "Crap. He's not going to be happy."

She tilted her head in curiousity. "Who's not going to be happy?"

"Suigetsu. Stop wasting time," a male voice _very_ familiar to Tukiko called out.

Tukiko tensed up. That voice...He couldn't be here, could he? The answer was painfully simple as Sasuke of all people appeared beside Suigetsu. Her body started to shake as she glared at him. She still had not forgiven him after what happened last time they saw each other. Again, Tukiko tried to not activated her Sharingan.

"Sasuke Uchiha," she growled out.

Sasuke stared down at his sister, blinking. He had no expression at all when he saw that his twin sister was here of all places at the same time they were. Suigetsu glanced between Sasuke and Tukiko confusedly.

"Hey Sasuke, you know this girl?" he asked, pointing a finger at Tukiko.

"Unfortunately," Tukiko huffed. She glanced to the side while folding her arms. Her good mood was spoiled now that Sasuke was here. Just when things started to look up for her just this once, now this happens! Did fate like to screw up her life? "This idiot here used to be one of my teammates. Now my friends are trying to bring him back."

"Are you here to capture him?"

She snorted. "Like hell I would! I would rather gouge out my own eyes before I would go on a mission to get this idiot. I'm just here in kill someone then be on my merry way." And now that Tukiko mentioned it, she didn't have that much information on the guy that she was going to kill. All she knew was that his name was Tenzen Daikoku and he was the head of a secret gang. She didn't know where the guy was at that. He was only rumored to be around Wave country but not specifially where. She sighed. She better get started on gathering information from the townspeople. She bowed to Suigetsu but not Sasuke. "I thank you once again for getting my ring and I wish I could repay you. But I need to go get some info on a Tenzen Daikoku."

Suigetsu's eyebrows when up in surprise. "Tenzen Daikoku? You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"You're looking for him too?" Tukiko asked, surprised.

"Yeah. We need to get a blade that he took. You wouldn't know, would you?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I would tell you if I did but I don't know either. I'll come find you if I find anything." She turned around to start walking but ended up hitting someone _again._ This time, it was a guy with a purple beenie on his head and some tattoes under his eyes.

"Watch the hell where you're going!"

She was about to fall down on her butt when she felt someone catch her. She frowned. What was with her and bumping into people lately. She looked up to see who caught her and saw that it was Sasuke. She was a bit surprised and even more so when he picked her up to her feet. She blinked a few times at him. "Um, thanks?"

"Hey, we were just looking for you!"

Tukiko turned around just in time to see Suigetsu grab the back collar of the man's shirt. Then he dragged the guy into an alley. Tukiko suddenly felt herself being dragged to the alley by Sasuke. He had a firm grip on her wrist so that she wouldn't escape. She gave a silent sigh. Sasuke was not a man of words but instead of action. He didn't ask. Instead he forced. So she had no say in the matter at all. So she begrudingly let her twin drag her into the alley where Suigetsu was at the dead end with the man. When they got there, the guy looked at them with fearful eyes.

"Who the hell are you guys?!"

"You seem like the type to know all kinds of things," Suigetsu said.

"I know nothing about Tenzen!" the man said.

"Anything will do. Just tell us what you know." He just smiled as he brought a kunai out. The man's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon. Suigetsu just continued to smile. Tukiko had to admit that using fear was a good idea to make the man talk. Fear was one thing that could make people do anything to save their lifes.

The man gluped and immidiately started to tell them about Tenzen. He was a politicain. He, apparently doled out huge bribes to feudal lords and he could do whatever evil things he liked.

"That's nice but we need to know where he lives," Tukiko said to the guy.

"He lives in the forest to the south. Rumor says several thousand mercenaries guard the place and that it's impenetrable."

Tukiko smirked, one that matched Sasuke's. "Nothing is impenetrable for me." She winked at the guy, making him blush. "Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a date with Tenzen Daikoku. He and I need a little _chat._" She wretched her wrist out of Sasuke's hold and walked out the alley. She grinned, finally glad that she had information on this guy. All she had to do now was go to this guy, wait, then assassinate the guy. When that was all over, she could go home and tell Naruto and all of them that she had spotted Sasuke. That part she didn't look forward to. When she told them, they would immidiately ask her why she did not just capture him on spot. Then they would make her go and take them to where they saw Sasuke and the chase would be on again. She gave a sigh.

_I need a vacation._

Tukiko was just about to leave to go kill Tenzen when a voice called out her name. She stopped mid-step, knowing who called her name. She gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. She turned around to see Sasuke walking up to her. "What, Uchiha? I'm busy," she snapped at him. Her temper with him was growing short from being near him. What did he want?

"Come join my team," was the thing he said.

She blinked. Team? What team? Why did he even need a team in the first place?

"What? Are you serious, Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked the raven haired boy. He just met Tukiko today. It seemed pretty obvious that Tukiko had no intrest in being in his team.

"Why would I go with you for a team? What do you need that team for anyway?" she questioned, putting her hands on her hips.

"Just join."

Tukiko's eye twitched. There he went again with the few syllable answers. She was getting pretty tired of him. All she wanted to do was leave. "Thanks but no thanks. _I_ need a mission to get to then a village to go home to." She started to walk away again when he said,

"You still have a debt to Suigetsu. Join and that debt will be repaid."

She froze. Crap. She did have that debt to Suigetsu. If there was one thing that Tukiko didn't like leaving it was debts unpaid. Being trained to be a housewife/noble, she had to make sure that she was polite to everyone. A rule that she had learned to being a lady was that she should not leave any debts unpaid. Her lessons stuck to her like glue through all those years so she had to do this. She turned around to glare at Sasuke.

"Well, it's not your debt. It's Suigetsu's so it's _his_ choice, not yours."

Sasuke and Tukiko turned to Suigetsu, their similar eyes concentrated on him. He tensed up, being put on position. He shivered at the smoldering cold eyes of Sasuke. They told him-no-_demanded_ that he make Tukiko join them. He felt almost like giving in to Tukiko when seeing her begful eyes, asking him to say no. He almost lost it when she added in the puppy dog pout. The girl was just too adorable when she pouted like that! He rubbed the back of his neck, looking to the side to avoid their gazes.

"I-I guess she can come if she wants to," he said to them.

Tukiko gaped at Suigetsu. No! He was her last chance! She closed her eyes, one twitching. Damnit. If he was the one asking her to repay her debt by doing this, she had to. She gave a deep sigh. "Fine, Uchiha. I'll join your stupid team. But I have to complete my mission first." She turned around, going towards the direction of where that castle was. Sasuke and Suigetsu caught up with her. Then the three departed for the castle.

---

The next day, the three of them were hiding in the trees. Suigetsu and Tukiko watched as men on horses sped towards the castle. They were confused with what was going on. They had planned to kill Tenzen today. It was going to be hard with this going on.

"What's going on?" Suigetsu asked.

"It seems another powerful clan plans to attack Tenzen's castle tomorrow with an army that numbers in the tens of thousands," Sasuke told them.

"Really? It's going to be hard to get to Tenzen then," Tukiko mentioned. Though something bugged her. Why was this attack going to be really soon? She heard nothing about another group coming to attack Tenzen. Something was up.

Suigetsu sighed. "Well, whatever. The more confused the enemy becomes, the better my chances are. Be it several thousand or tens of thousands, it doesn't matter to a ninja like me. Me and Tukiko will sneak in tonight and take the Executioner's blade. Then Tukiko can kill Tenzen."

Tukiko grinned at Suigetsu. "Sounds like a good plan to me!" She needed to kill Tenzen at the least expected time and when his guard was down. That was going to be the perfect time.

"How about making a bet?" Sasuke offered to them, offhandly.

They both blinked at him.

"A bet?"

Sasuke glanced towards the castle. "On who gets the Executioner's blade first."

"What?! I never expected you to have a playful side, Sasuke!" Suigetsu said in surprise.

"Neither have I," Tukiko said quietly. Now this was strange Sasuke behavoir. Sasuke never made bets when they were in Konoha. He rarely did. The only time he ever bet with Tukiko was when they were twelve and it was after the Chunin Exams. Sasuke had bet that she couldn't convince Naruto to stay quiet for a day. She took on that bet and won it easy when she told Naruto she would treat him to a whole bunch of ramen for lunch. She later learned that Sasuke only made the bet in the first place because he had a splintering headache from having sugar (Tukiko had to tie him down the other night to make him not run) and he wanted Naruto to shut up to stop making it worse. Tukiko felt used after that and told herself she would never take bets from Sasuke. He always had a sneaky agenda when he did. So this wager had to invovle something in between the lines.

Suigetsu grinned. "You're on. It's sounds fun."

"Then it starts now. There's only one rule: We don't kill anyone."

Suigetsu and Tukiko were confused. After one blink, Sasuke was gone. Tukiko looked back to the ground to see Sasuke had taken out a whole bunch of those guys already. The two glanced at each other before they raced to the ground. They stood in front of the carnage. Sasuke worked fast.

Tukiko patted Suigetsu sympathetically. "Good luck," she said. "You'll need it." There was no way she was going to take on that bet after seeing how fast her twin took out those guys. Tukiko then took off towards the castle. She stealthy got in past the outer walls and sneaked her way upstairs. She actually just clung to the walls of the building and walked her way up. None of the guards noticed her at all. She was heading for the top floor where Tenzen was. But she wasn't going to kill him just yet. She wanted to see who would win the bet. She had a feeling that Suigetsu would win since she knew for a fact, Sasuke wasn't going to participate either. She was at the side of one of the windows and peeked inside. She could see that Suigetsu was already there as well as Sasuke. She moved back as Suigetsu threw a man out of the hole that she was right next to.

Suigetsu pointed the tip of the Executioner's blade that he got back at Tenzen. Tenzen jumped back.

"D-Do you think you can get away with this?!" he said in fear.

"Well, you obviously can't." Tenzen turned around in surprise to see Tukiko sitting on the footboard with her legs crossed. She gave a grin at him. "You must pay for your actions. For lying about killing this Zabuza and taking his blade when you didn't really kill him."

Tenzen studied the girl's features and gulped. He tensed up in fear.

"R-Raven hair, dark eyes, that Konoha hitait-ate...you're the Bloody swallow!"

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at Tukiko. " 'The Bloody swallow?' "

She sighed, jumping off of the headboard. "Some stupid nickname that I gained among criminals. They called me that because I'm good at assassination work and I kill them before they knew it. They were reminded of a swallow's speed when I did that so they called me that." She shrugged before getting back to business. She smirked at Tenzen, drawing out a kunai. "Since you know I'm here, I'm giving you a choice: would you like it to be quick and painless? Or slow and painful? Either is fine with me."

Tenzen backed up to one of the pillars in the room. "Please have mercy on me! I'll give you money! Land! Anything! Just don't kill me!"

Tukiko frowned and flicked her wrist. Tenzen gave out a yell, expecting pain. He felt nothing. He opened his eyes to see that the kunai had hit the pillar behind him but missed his face just a few millimeters. He stared in shock at Tukiko. She scoffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"You know what I hate? I hate it when people think that material things will buy them out of dying," she said to Suigetsu. "They think that money of all things will make me stop from killing them. They should know that I _don't_ do bribes." She yawned, walking over to Suigetsu. "You kill him. I lost my interest in that."

"Forget it. What's the point in killing someone like him?" Sasuke asked.

Suigetsu paused before swining his blade in a circle. Tukiko jumped out of the way before she was hit. The blade cut through all of the main pillars. Suigetsu smirked.

"I've cut through the main pillars so you'd better get out of here," he said to Tenzen. "I'll spare your life. It's only out of respect for Sasuke. Tukiko was also right. People who beg not to die and bribe shinobis aren't worth killing anymore."

Suigetsu and Sasuke started to walk down the stairs. Tukiko glanced at Tenzen before following the other two. She almost stopped when she heard the man mention something but kept going, thinking about it.

"Sasuke?! Sasuke who killed Orochimaru!?" he shouted.

That was all she heard before they were out of earshot.

"Say, you're famous. They know your name even around here!" Suigetsu said in amusement.

"What's that about?" Tukiko butted in. She glanced at her twin. "Did he really kill Orochimaru?"

"Yeah! He did and freed me."

"We'll explain later," Sasuke said, catching her eye. Tukiko glanced away to the side, folding her arms. She bit her lip. Did Sasuke really kill Orochimaru? Was it actually possible that he could? She knew that the snake was powerful but if Sasuke did kill him...

Tukiko sighed. She would have to find out later on. For now, when she was away from these two, she should send word to Tsunade that she was being forced to join Sasuke and tell her that he killed Orochimaru.

This was going to be a fun time.

---

Okay, so a lot of things have happened in this chapter. Tukiko and Deidara get engaged, Tukiko is forced to join Sasuke's team, and she learns that her twin killed Orochimaru. What shall become of Tukiko's future? Will there be joy? Will everything end all right? You'll just have to review to find out!

Please review!

Oh, and has anyone watched the new Naruto Shippuden on Disney XD? They ruined it! I got really mad at the beginning where Sasuke was supposed to take out his sword to kill Naruto and in there, he didn't! Me and my brother were like "WTF?!?!? We're not watching this on TV anymore!" We actually started to watch it online where the uncut version is. They cuss in there and keep the japanese beginning and ending! But I still watch it on TV when I'm bored so yeah. I just love the voice of Deidara! He's the english voice for Axel in Kingdom Hearts! *sighs* Kingdom Hearts and Naruto. Two of the best things that ever happened in my life (well, besides anime coming into my life).


	11. Prison meetings

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 11

Shortly after leaving the Wave country, Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Tukiko were walking across a sea towards a location. Well, Tukiko wasn't really walking. Sasuke was actually giving her a piggy back ride and fast asleep at that. Sasuke refused but Tukiko told him that he at least owed her for joining his stupid team. Plus Tukiko was tired and sleepy after being up for two whole days. Her happiness about getting married to Deidara had made her travel to Wave country to cut a whole day off and she stayed up all night to stand guard for them when they had to camp out for the night. She was exhausted.

Suigetsu glanced at the sleeping girl. She was mumbling some stuff like, "No, Ne-kun...go kill Naru...I don't wanna have custard...." and snuggling her head on Sasuke's back and sighing. Since Tukiko was way smaller than Sasuke now (even though they used to be the same size when they were twelve), it looked like Sasuke was carrying his little sister or something like that.

"Sasuke, why are we having Tukiko join us? Isn't she a Konoha ninja?" Suigetsu finally asked.

"Hn." Sasuke didn't want to answer that. He should be able to see _why_ he was taking Tukiko with them without him explaining.

"Plus she doesn't seem to like you very much." He snapped his fingers. "Is she one of your old girlfriends or something? That would explain why she hates you!"

Sasuke paused, turning to glare at Suigetsu. Suigetsu froze for a second. Then Sasuke kept walking. He was a bit disgusted with what Suigetsu said. How could he say that he was dating his own twin sister? That was wrong on so many levels. Sasuke may have done horrible things in the past but he would never stoop as low as incest. Really, why would people think he was going to date his sister? It would be even worse if people thought he was going out with that damned Itachi. He secretly shuddered at the fact. He hated Itachi! People were just sick if they thought he was going to date _him_ of all people. He would date Naruto before that actually happened-not that he was actually gay. (A/N: Though people do that anyway. *coughUchihacestcoughSasuNarucough*)

The two walked in silence for a while, save for Tukiko's soft breathing. They soon arrived to some sort of island in the middle of the sea. They stepped onto the land and continued towards the mountain base there. Sasuke also noticed the small mounds of dirt on the side of the path as they walked. They arrived at a metal type door. Both of them stared at it. Then they glanced at each other. More specifically, Sasuke was glancing at Suigetsu's blade.

Suigetsu gave him a weird look. "Why do I have to do it? You have a sword to cut it down too."

"Your's is more suited. Plus..." He glanced over Tukiko who he was holding. She was still sleeping and looked like it wouldn't be anytime soon for her to wake up. His arms were full when carrying her legs.

He sighed. The Uchiha got him there. So he pulled his huge blade off of his back and sliced the door open. The metal didn't even stand a chance. It fell into bits at their feet to reveal a path that lead into a hallway. There were no windows but metal bars that acted like cages.

"There you go, your _majesty._" Suigetsu mock-bowed to Sasuke, grinning.

Sasuke nodded and silently lead the way into the hallway. The two passed by the metal bars. Inside were men who were captured by Orochimaru to be experimented on. Both of them ignored the prisoners but they certainly gained their attention.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha!"

"What's he doing in a place like this?"

"Orochimaru isn't with him."

"It must be true!"

The whispers carried on as they continued down the hallway. Far from the whispers now, they kept going until a woman with red hair appeared in front of them.

"So it's you after all...Sasuke," she said. She stared at him. "Sasuke, the fact that you're here alone must mean that the rumors were true."

Suigetsu frowned. "Geez, that's mean. We're here too." He gestured to both him and Tukiko.

"So? What brings you here?" The woman's gaze shifted to Tukiko. She almost glared at Tukiko's arms around his neck but decided against it.

"Sasuke has something to discuss with you. We can't stand here and talk so take us inside, will you? I'm exhaused from walking so much. I bet Sasuke's tired of carrying around Tukiko here too."

"What do you want to talk about?" The woman ignored Suigetsu and was talking to Sasuke.

"I said let's not stand out here, Karin," Suigetsu snapped. He was already annoyed with this woman.

Karin huffed and sniffed at Suigetsu. She made a face. "You disgust me."

"What'd you say!?"

Sasuke decided to intervene before this got worse. "

Cut it out, Karin. Take us inside."

Karin sighed and turned around. "Fine. Follow me."

Karin led them past a door and into a lounging type room. There was also a couch for them to sit at. Sasuke got Tukiko off his back and set her to lay down on the couch comfortably. She grumbled a bit from the lack of warmth she just lost and curled into a ball to stay warm. Sasuke sat near her head while Suigetsu right near her feet. Sasuke was very straight forward as he moved onto why they were there.

"Karin, follow me. I need you."

"Huh?! Why would I follow you?" Karin almost shouted in surprise. "I'm under orders to oversee this place!"

"Orochimaru is already dead."

"What about the prisoners here?" She demanded.

"Speaking of the prisoners, they were awfully quiet," Suigetsu mentioned, thinking back to when they arrived. "Haven't they heard about Orochimaru's death?"

Karin didn't say anything.

"The number of prisoners has slightly gone done since I last came here," Sasuke said. "Also, there are signs of recent digging in the grounds in front of the entrance. Karin, with that sharp intellect, information control must be your forte."

A dawning look reached Suigetsu's face. "Oh, I get it. Rumors about Orochimaru's death began spreading among the prisoners, so in order to avoid a riot, Karin has been wisely taking action...Is that it?"

Karin curled and uncurled her fist. Suigetsu was right on the money. She had planted a spy in the ranks of the prisoners so that if one of them were to speak about that rumor, she would just kill them and have the other guards bury them in the front. She didn't want those prisoners to escape nor cause a riot.

"Karin, your cautious nature which has maintained the order of the prison. Or rather...kept you alive."

"You'd better stop talking like that!" Karin yelled.

"You've been trained by Orochimaru, all right. Man, you're scary," Suigetsu muttered. "You should have sensed us a long time ago. You could've even killed us by now."

"If you were alone."

He raised an eyebrow.

"But not Sasuke?"

"I didn't say that! Sasuke is a colleague. I wanted to see if the rumors were true. If Sasuke killed Orochimaru."

"I did kill him," Sasuke said calmly.

"How can you say that so casually?!"

There was a groan from near Sasuke. All of them turned to Tukiko, who was the source of the noise. She covered her face with her hands, moving slightly. She groaned again. "Oh my Kami...Can't a girl get at least a few hours of sleep? I'm exhausted." She moved her hands away from her face and opened her eyes to see a stone ceiling. Blinking, she glanced to the side to see Karin then raised an eyebrow. "Where are we and who the heck are you?"

"Who the heck is this girl!?" Karin demanded. She was mad that they brought an unknown girl with them to this place. Plus, seeing her hitai-ate, she knew it was a Konoha kunoichi. "How could you bring someone from Konoha with you?"

"Don't worry about it. She's with us." Suigetsu grinned at Tukiko. She picked herself up to sit down properly on the couch. She scowled at all of them for ruining her sleep. "Did you have a nice nap, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Shut up before I kill you," she growled at him. She was seriuos too. She hated being woken up and would kill anything or anyone that irritated her.

"Suigetsu, Tukiko...Release everyone who is held prisoner here," Sasuke ordered the both of them.

"What?" Both Karin and Tukiko said. Karin was loud but Tukiko was confused.

"Geez, you always order people around," Suigetsu said.

"You can't tell me what to do. You're _not_ my dad," Tukiko said, crossing her arms. She hated being ordered around as well from her brothers. Sasuke was always tough when it came to ordering her around. They always got into verbal fights because he ordered her around way too much. All because he was older than her by three minutes.

Sasuke gave her a glare that said, "You wanna bet?" Tukiko returned with a glare of her own. She could have won if Suigetsu didn't grab her by the arm and drag her out of the room. They were out of the room and were heading towards where the prisoners were. Suigetsu let of her her. She frowned.

"I hate that damned Uchiha. He's always ordering me around!" She spat out. "And that Karin girl seems to piss me off too!"

"I don't like her either." Suigetsu was a bit taken back at Tukiko's ruthlessness. Was this girl always like this or just when she woke up? She was still a mystery to him.

They arrived at the cell doors of the prisoners. Suigetsu knelt down to speak to them but Tukiko merely leaned against the bars, looking at the prisoners. She felt a bit sad for them. She knew what it was like being cooped up in a place for so long. She _was_ captured by Orochimaru, after all. She listened as Suigetsu told them that they were all free to go but they had to do a favor for him. They had to tell the world that "The one who defeated Orochimaru and gave us our freedom was Sasuke Uchiha...A man has appeared who will bring peace and tranquility to this world." They would do that and they were soon all let out. As most of them were leaving, they glanced at Tukiko's face, a bit shocked to see that she resembled Sasuke. Then they left.

Tukiko giggled, following Suigetsu back to the room. " 'A man who will bring peace and tranquility to the world'?" she asked. "You know Sasuke wouldn't like the sound of that. He doesn't seem like the type of person to do that."

Sugietsu grinned. "So? It sounded like it could be him."

"Psh. You are way off." Tukiko giggled again. They were at the door by now and she twisted the handle to open it but it wouldn't. She jiggled the door knob. Her forehead creased in worry and confusion. "What the? Stupid door won't open!"

"Damn! I knew she would do that!" Suigetsu cursed, kicking at the door.

Tukiko was confused. Why would someone lock the door? Sasuke couldn't have done it and neither could have Karin unless...Her eyes widened at the fact. She saw the looks that Karin was shooting at her brother. Those were the eyes of a fan person. She knew from experiance what that looked like. After she had developed, the boys of Konoha began to notice her and started to ask her out on dates. She refused each one but they still didn't stop. On her birthday and holidays, it was the worst. They gave her so many presents, none of which she could accept. So a locked room plus Sasuke and Karin...

_Oh my gosh! Sasuke's going to get raped!_

She growled. How dare Karin have the nerve to rape her brother! She may not have liked him anymore but something deep inside her said that she could not just stand by as her brother was being molested by a fangirl! That was the last straw! Tukiko reached into her pouch to get a scroll. Biting her thumb, she released the scroll to unseal her katana. Suigetsu was surprised by her action but did not argue. He didn't want to see Sasuke get molested either. Tukiko gripped her sword, unsheathing it. She sent a _Chidori_ through the blade and sliced through the door. The wood fell to pieces. She scowled and stepped inside to see Karin cuddling next to Sasuke. She glared at the pair of them.

"You stupid idiot! If I don't like any girl you're dating, then you sure as hell won't date her!" Tukiko yelled at Sasuke. "Hell! You better tell me if you're dating someone at _all!_"

Karin stepped away from Sasuke and froze at Tukiko's glare. It just screamed, "I'll kill you!" It was scary too because it resembled Sasuke's glare.

"W-Why would Sasuke need to get through you when he does something!?" She snapped at Tukiko, gaining her courage. "What are you, his mom?!"

"I sure as well might be!" Tukiko, like her brothers to her, was overprotective of them even if she didn't like Sasuke much anymore. It was a hard habit to break. If she didn't like a girl that Sasuke liked, then she would tell him flat out straight no.

Before Tukiko could do anything, Sasuke stopped her, grabbing the edge of her shirt.

"Knock it off, Tukiko. Do not threaten Karin."

"But Sasuke...!" Tukiko turned around and looked up at her twin's face. She was a bit surprised. She never had to look up at Sasuke before. This was new.

_Whoa...Has he always been this tall?_

Sasuke glared at her sternly. Tukiko growled, looking away.

"Fuck! I can't threaten your stupid friend but you can threaten mine!? You're such a stupid...!" She stampped her foot on the ground. "What the hell happened to that guy who was my best friend?! I don't even know who you are anymore! We used to know each other so well but I just don't know anymore. God! I don't even know why I wasted any tears on you! You were right. I was better off not coming back to Konoha at all so I didn't have to know you!" Tukiko let out a scream of frustration as she stormed out of the room. She pushed past Suigetsu and stormed out of the prison. Once outside, she went to go stand by the sea to calm down. She folded her arms, trying hard not to cry.

Tukiko didn't feel any slight guilt when she said that to Sasuke. He deserved it. All of the anger and frustration she had held towards him had to be let out. Her anger started to die down a bit with a terrible feeling creeping in. Then again, maybe she shouldn't have said those things. Her anger just took over and her mouth worked on automatic. She just felt horrible now. This always happened if she ever had a verbal fight with Sasuke. Was it a good thing that she said all of that? Sasuke had said the same thing when he was angry back before he left. She was stooping to his level now.

_Yeah, except he wouldn't be crying like me after he yelled at me,_ she thought, wiping away any stray tears that fell. She glared at the ground. _Great! I'm wasting my tears on him _again!_ And over a stupid fight!_

Tukiko let out all of her tears just to get rid of them. She stopped and lifted a hand to quickly wipe them away when feeling a chakra source coming towards her. She knew who it was. She cleared her throat, staring out into the sea.

"What do you want, Suigetsu?" Tukiko spoke loud and clear.

"Just wanted to keep you company," he said, appearing at her side. He faced the sea as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the tearstains on her face and her redness. She had been crying. "So...Why do you hate Sasuke so much?"

"Yeah, that's a question you first ask when you see a girl upset," Tukiko snapped sarcastically. Suigetsu wasn't affected by it. She sighed, closing her eyes. "You know, I didn't always hate him. When we were younger, we used to like each other. We got along so well. No one in our village would see us apart...Until I did something that hurt Sasuke a bit."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"...I ran away from the village. It's too complicated to explain, Suigetsu. I ran away but I came back six years later when we were twelve. At first I thought Sasuke would be happy that I was there again. A few months later..." She bit her lip dejectedly. "He told me something that really hurt. He said I should have never come back to Konoha at all. Then he left while taking something from me in the process. He ended up hurting my teammates and my friends. He hurt me the most when he left and I've ended up hating him ever since. I can't stand being in the same room as him anymore!" She bit her lip even harder. Talking about this was really hurting her. "I don't even _know_ if I feel mad that I got to see him after three years or happy! He keeps changing my mind that he doesn't like me at the same time so I just don't know anymore."

The two were silent, only the sea waves and the bird calls filling the space. Tukiko was so confused. Did Sasuke care about her anymore or didn't he? He was confusing the hell out of her, that was for sure.

"I think he does still like you," Suigetsu finally said. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I know that Sasuke is usually unfeeling and stuff and never shows his emotions much. But back there...I thought he kinda looked hurt or something. I thought I imagined it but I could just tell."

Tukiko opened her eyes, looking surprised. "He...did?"

He nodded. "You should be a bit nicer to him, you know. He personally asked you to join his team. The reasons, I don't know. But he does seem to care about you if he wants to keep you close. Sasuke was always a softy. He would never kill anyone if he was given the choice. I'm taking a wild guess when I'm saying this. I think that Sasuke missed you after three years too. He just doesn't say it or show it."

Tukiko felt guilty upon his words. She guessed that Suigetsu was right. Sasuke wouldn't have asked her to join his team and make her do so if he didn't like her. And back in Orochimaru's lair, he said, "Touch her and I'll kill you" to Orochimaru and Kabuto. He also commented that she looked like their mother. And he did try to say sorry before she blew up the room. He even kept her bracelet for pete's sake! All of that just showed he cared. Her shoulders slumped in depression. If he cared then why did he say all of that horrible stuff when she tried to convince him to stay? Why didn't he stay and cause her all of that pain? He even left all of the stuff that she gave him to keep forever...That's why she screamed at Sasuke. She just didn't know her twin brother anymore.

"That's a lie," she whispered low enough for only her to hear. She gave a sigh. "But I suppose that you're right in a way. Sasuke never was very expressing with his feelings."

Suigetsu patted her on the shoulder, grinning. "Yeah but he's an Uchiha! They usually _never_ show their feelings. Well, by what I've seen by Sasuke they don't."

_If only he knew..._Tukiko gave a smile. Suigetsu had still not figured out that she and Sasuke were actually twins. Neither with the fact that she was an Uchiha as well and showed her emotions. She didn't have the heart to tell him and figured to let him find out himself.

"Suigetsu, Tukiko..." They both turned around to see Sasuke and Karin standing behind them. Tukiko avoided Sasuke's eyes in fear of feeling guilty. Too late. She was feeling that already. She looked to Karin to see her scowling at her. "Let's go."

"Right!" Suigetsu and Tukiko went to go follow Sasuke and Karin. Tukiko was hesitant to approach Sasuke after what she said to him. The guilt was eating her alive right now. She stayed just behind the three of them, right near Sasuke's back. She wringed her hands. The group left the land and started to walk on the water towards some location. Suigetsu started to ask some questions such as where they were heading. Sasuke wasn't saying anything and Karin was glaring at her through the corners of her eyes.

With Tukiko, the guilt was starting to eat her alive with each step she took. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She reached over to Sasuke's shirt and grabbed it gently. Feeling the touch, Sasuke halted, looking behind him. Karin and Suigetsu did the same. Karin's glare grew fierce as she glared at the hand that touched Sasuke. Tukiko bit her lip, staring at the ground.

"Ah...Sasuke...I'm..." It was taking a lot right now to get the words out without crying. Whenever she apologized to Sasuke after a fight they had, she would cry. She shut her eyes, willing herself not to cry. "I'm sorry, okay?! I shouldn't have said those things back there but I was really mad at you for making me join and stuff and I have a few things going on right now that's making me really irritated and all so...yeah." She hung her head. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why are you apologizing?"

She blushed, letting go of his shirt. "Well, Suigetsu told me you kinda looked hurt when I said all of that stuff and I got really guilty. Stupid consious."

"Hn. I'm not hurt by any of those things you said."

"You're not?" Tukiko asked in surprise. She surely thought that he was.

"No."

And that was it. That tone Sasuke used meant that the issue was done and over it. That also meant that Sasuke indirectly forgiven her. She knew that he was hurt by her words in some way. Oh, he may not have seemed like it when he said that he wasn't but he was. Tukiko let out a sigh of relief, the guilt fading away. She hated having a consious sometimes. Tukiko just followed Sasuke to where ever now, knowing that he forgave her.

In the future, she wondered if she would forgive him for everything he did.

---

Okay, there's the new chapter. I'm updating right now since I have no school. It's Vetran's day! That's why I have no school. Bad news is that I think I'm starting to get sick so I can't do anything. Ugh, my throat's killing me.

Anyway, I just want to inform you guys that this is the last update before I go to updating once every two weeks. The chapters are starting to catch up with me so I need to have enough time to make the chapters. Sorry! And for those of who read Confused Gender, I ask that you wait for a little while longer. My stupid brother hogs the laptop I type on (which is also my laptop, the bastard!) so I can only update every now and then. Plus, I don't have as many chapters on that story than this one. I suck at First person stories so it takes awhile for me to write it. So sorry!

That's it for today so see you in two weeks! Please review!


	12. Familar and Unfamiliar

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 12

"Ugh, I'm so tired," Suigetsu complained, collasping onto a rock. He pulled out a water bottle he had strapped to his side and drank from it. "Let's take a short break."

"You already are!" Karin snapped at Suigetsu.

"Lay off, Karin. I agree with Suigetsu." Tukiko collasped by Suigetsu, fanning her face with her hand. Her feet were aching from walking so much and it was too damn hot.

Karin glared at her and scoffed. "You two are so hopeless. We've still got a ways to go until we get to the northern hideout."

"My destination is different from yours. No need to bother me. Just go on ahead," Suigetsu told them, sipping more water.

"I-I remembered that I have business at the northern hideout too!" Karin hastily said. "So I'm going to take care of that first!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Karin." Tukiko rolled her eyes. She knew that Karin was lying. She didn't have business somewhere else. She was just following Sasuke.

Seeing as how Tukiko and Suigetsu weren't going to move at all, they just took this break. Sasuke sat down next to Tukiko while Karin stood in front of Suigetsu.

"Suigetsu," Karin said with her arms folded. "Why do you and Tukiko follow Sasuke?"

"I have a goal," Suigetsu said. "And if I stick with Sasuke, I can fulfill that goal."

"I'm being forced to." Tukiko yawned and stretched. She stared at Karin lazily. "We should be asking you the same question, Karin."

She narrowed her eyes at her. "I don't know what your goals are-" She turned her glare to Suigetsu. "But you guys want me to join your team despite knowing about Juugo?"

Tukiko raised an eyebrow. "Who's Juugo?"

"I only know a little about him. We fought each other once," Suigetsu told her. "He had an unusual ability and was quite formidable. But I couldn't figure out what he was thinking and I didn't like him very much. I understand _he_ sought out Orochimaru."

"You're joking!" Tukiko blinked in surprise. She understood Orochimaru seeking out people like her and Sasuke but the other way around? That was so weird.

He shook his head. "No, it's true. I think he was crazy."

"According to rumors," Karin butted in, "Juugo usually has that unusual impulse well under control. But when he loses it, he transforms into a ruthless killer. His personality and appearance change completely."

"You don't say..." Tukiko gulped a little. They were going after a guy who loved to kill. What was Sasuke thinking!?

"So in other words, he's a maniac who loves to kill people," Suigetsu stated.

"But to Orochimaru, Juugo's ability was enticing. He invented an enzyme based on Juugo's body fluids-" This made Tukiko make a face,"which induced the same condition in other shinobi. You guys know it too, right?"

Suigetsu pointed a thumb at Tukiko. "She probably doesn't."

"What is it?" she asked curiously. She really didn't know what they were talking about. "Have I ever heard of it?"

"Maybe. Ever heard of the curse mark?"

Tukiko gasped. Unconsiously, her hand snaked up to her shoulder and pressed at the scar there. Her scar could be seen since kimono neckline was a bit low. With her hair up, it was out in full display. "S-So this Juugo guy was the first one to have that?" she asked.

Karin and Suigetsu nodded.

"You've heard of the curse mark before?" Karin asked with her head tilted.

Tukiko glanced at Sasuke through the corner of her eye. He met her gaze but didn't say anything. She glared at him then turned away. She nodded.

"Yes. I've heard of it. It's not hard to when I've had the damn thing twice already."

"YOU'VE WHAT!?" Karin and Suigetsu shouted at her. She covered her ears to not become deaf. When she removed her hand from her shoulder, Karin tilted her head to the side to see her scar. Her eyes widened.

"Oh my god..You _have_ had it before."

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at her. "How could you have it twice? Usually, people have it once then they're done."

"Well..." Tukiko nibbled on her lip as she hung her head. "I got the first one when I was only eight. Orochimaru had bitten me and brought me back to one of the hideouts. I'm not sure if it was that base but it was probably the Northen base I've stayed at for most of the time." At this, Karin gasped. She scratched her head. "I'm not sure what happened during that time. Everything's all hazy. All I can remember is that I lost the curse mark when I almost died from something. Then I was found by someone and that was the end of that."

"When was the second time did you get it?"

She wringed her hands in her lap. "It happened when I was twelve. I was in Konoha around that time and was taking the Chunin Exams. During the second exams, Orochimaru appeared _again_ and tried to bite one of my teammates but I interfered by pushing my teammate out of the way then letting Orochimaru bite me _again._" She glared at Sasuke through the corners of her eyes. He stared at the ground, not meeting her gaze. "I got it again. Then my sensei and I came up with an idea to seperate and divide the curse mark between two people."

"Hold on!" Karin held up a hand to stop her in her tracks. "You _can't_ do that. It's impossible!"

"Then what the hell do you call this freaking scar on my shoulder!?" She pointed to her shoulder in anger. She did not like to be interuppted when she was explaining something. She sighed. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interuppted, me and a friend of mine agreed to seperate the curse mark between the two of us. But there were some side effects to dividing the mark between two people. The first one was that we could hear each other's thoughts. It doesn't sound as bad as it was. We didn't mind since we were really close. But I always sang this annoying song in my head to annoy the hell out of him." She giggled while Sasuke rolled his eyes. He could still remember that stupid song because of her. "The second one was that we couldn't be away from each other for more than twenty-four hours. That part was the only thing we had a problem with. Anyway, since the curse mark's power was divided between the two of us, it couldn't control us and wouldn't make us go crazy with power. Too bad my friend was crazy with power and he ran away from the village." She glared at Sasuke through the corners of her eyes even more, burning a hole at him. He ignored it as best as he could but he felt so guilty when she glared at her for doing that. "He ran away and he took the curse mark with him. In the process, he ended up scarring my body to the point of death. I almost did die if it weren't for the Hokage saving my life in time. Because of all the damage the curse mark did to me, it left this scar on my body-" she pointed to the scar with the half of her mark. "And I became mute for nearly two and a half years. I've hated my friend ever since because of what he did." She felt some of the pent up anger she had towards Sasuke rise up again. She almost felt her eyes activate to the Sharingan but willed it not to. She closed her eyes, standing to her feet. "Please excuse me for a second."

Tukiko walked around the rock base with everyone staring at her back. They stared until they saw her disappear. They all wondered what she was going to do when they heard a loud crash. The whole place shook for a bit before it ended. Suigetsu and Karin raised an eyebrow as Tukiko came back with a smile on her face.

"Much better." Tukiko smiled, happy that the rage and anger was gone. She had ended up punching a rock with her chakra enhanched fists to make the whole place shake. If someone looked behind the rock they were sitting at, they would see a huge dent in the rock wall. A big one too. She still had a smile on her face as she turned around, looking over her shoulder at them. "Are we going or what?" Then she started to walk off.

The three stood to their feet while following the girl. Suigetsu sighed, shaking his head.

"I will never understand Tukiko. She goes through major moodswings too much. Kind of like you, Karin."

"What did you say!?"

Tukiko ignored the people behind her and hummed a tune under her breath. She wasn't in the mood talking to the people behind her. Talking about the curse mark incident made her angry with Sasuke again. Why did she have to go with Orochimaru's cronies when she could just leave when she wanted to? She didn't have to stay. However, she couldn't find herself to leave. She didn't know why. All she knew was that she had to stay for some reason. Maybe one of those reasons were to make sure Sasuke didn't do anything rash the usual way he does.

The group of four continued on their way through the rock surrounded wasteland. Tukiko thought nothing of it as they walked through. She paid no mind to Suigetsu and Karin having their usual spat. She did pay mind, however, when she noticed a lookout station near the top of the cliffs. Squinting, she wasn't able to see or sense any of the people there.

"That's weird. Shouldn't there be someone on the lookout?" Tukiko asked.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, stepping up beside her. He looked up at the station as well.

"Where are they?" Karin asked, seeing that as well. "That's so strange..."

Tukiko looked down and gasped. She saw a man trudging his way over. He was in such a terrible condition. She ran over to the man before he keeled over. She caught the guy and gently laid him on the ground. Feeling for a pulse, she felt a beat but it was weak. "Are you okay? What happened?" She asked the man just as Karin and Sasuke came over.

The man opened his eyes and stared up at her. He blinked weakly. "You...You're...Sasuke Uchiha..." Tukiko sighed, closing her eyes. The man mistakened her for Sasuke. That was something that hadn't happened in so long. When she put up her hair in a ponytail, the ends of her hair would look spikey and from a certain point of view, she would look like Sasuke. Not to mention the guy was near death. The man coughed, and said weakly, "Orochimaru...Rumors began...to spread that he had died. The prisoners went wild...At this rate..." The man spazzed out before he went limp in Tukiko's arms.

"Oh crap, he died," Suigetsu muttered.

Karin suddenly looked up. Tukiko followed her gaze to see something land some feet away from them. She shot up to her feet at the sight of the man. His appearance was strange. He actually looked like a monster! She steaded herself, ready to fight if it came to that. The man tilted his head up at the Uchiha twins. He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "You...You're Sasuke Uchiha..."

Tukiko glanced between the two of them then scooted away from Sasuke. Whatever this guy wanted from her brother didn't involve her. When she was away from him, in the blink of an eye, Sasuke slashed at the man at an incredible speed. It almost matched Tukiko's own. (She's the fastest ninja that Konoha has) The man fell to the ground unconsious.

"The northern hideout is over there. Let's go and get Juugo." Sasuke sheathed his sword before walking away. Karin, Suigetsu and Tukiko ran to go catch up with Sasuke. When they passed by the unknown man, Tukiko noticed that the slash had only made him unconsious but not dead. She ran up to Sasuke, thinking about that attack.

_Weird...Sasuke didn't kill that guy when he had the ability to do that..._Tukiko gave a tiny smile at her brother. _He still acts like a Konoha ninja after all._

The group continued on towards the hideout. However, when they reached the entrance, they were greeted with the same kind of monsters/men like that man before. Tukiko frowned. Why did they all look like that?

"Is Juugo with them?" Sasuke asked Karin.

"Hold on." Karin closed her eyes, making a hand seal. After a few seconds, she shook her head. "No. He's not with them."

"Well then, I can fight without worrying who they are." Suigetsu grinned as he pulled out his blade.

"Should I be concerned that we're fighting against these guys?" Tukiko asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No. Just don't kill them." Sasuke took out his own sword, ready to fight. Tukiko shrugged and took out a kunai to fight with.

"You're such a Konoha ninja, Sasuke," Suigetsu commented. "You should've killed that guy back there too, you know. So naive..."

"Just go."

The three charged into the fray of prisoners. Tukiko was handling herself well against these guys for someone who hadn't fought against guys like these. None of them were able to touch her as she aimed for body points that would render them unconsious. They didn't know what hit them as she attacked them.

The three of them together quickly went through all of the prisoners like they were nothing. As Sasuke got rid of the last prisoner, Tukiko appeared next to Suigetsu, wiping away any sweat from fighting. That was quite a workout they had. Suigetsu looked around the prisoners, letting out a low whistle.

"Nice, Tukiko. I didn't know that you could go that fast. They weren't kidding when you were named the Bloody swallow."

"That happens when you've been in the ANBU like I have." Tukiko put a hand on her hip and gestured her head to her ANBU tattoo on her right shoulder. She gave a dreamy sigh. "Good times, being in the ANBU."

Karin walked out of the doorway that was the entrance, holding up a bunch of keys. "I found the keys."

They nodded and followed Karin inside of the hideout. As they walked through the same grey walls, Tukiko couldn't help but feel like this place was somehow...familiar. She thought that she had stayed here when she was eight when Orochimaru made her stay. But she had thought it was her imagination. Could it be...that she actually _has_ stayed here? Who knew?

Tukiko walked down the hallway with the others with a dazed look on her face. She didn't notice that they came upon a crossroad until the others stopped. Even then, she didn't stop. Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at her actions.

"Hey, where are you going?" he called after her.

"I don't know." Tukiko turned to them with that same dazed look on her face. "I think...I have been here before." Then she started to walk off. She turned to the right and let her feet carry her to where ever. She kept thinking that she knew this place was so familiar but didn't know where she was going. She would find out when she got there.

Tukiko turned a corner and found herself in another hallway. The only difference was that this one had a metal door near by. She walked over to the door with curiousity. The first thing she noticed were the chains on the door. Someone must have been locked in here. She raised a hand to open on the door.

"What are you doing here!?" She jumped out of her skin and turned to the source. It was Karin and Sasuke. Karin stomped over to her and slapped her hand away from the door. "Don't open the door, you idiot! Juugo's in there! How did you even find this place by yourself?"

"I...don't know." Tukiko frowned and stared at the door. This door was familiar as well. She thought back to her memories, scanning. She could only remember a bit about some things when she was eight. Like a voice...

"_Juju! Why can't you come out?"_ She could remember her little eight year old voice say.

"_I can't come out. I don't want to hurt you,"_ an unfamiliar male voice had said to her, muffled through the door.

"_But I want to play! That mean Orochimaru won't let me do anything fun..."_ Her eight year old self had sounded so depressed.

"_I'm sorry...I wish I could..."_

That was the last thing she could remember. Tukiko tried to put a face to the voice but couldn't remember. Everything was hazy.

Karin started to use the keys she took to unlock the door. She got all of the locks unlocked and almost opened the door when Sasuke decided to instead.

"Stand back, Karin, Tukiko. I'll go in first."

Tukiko and Karin did as he said and stepped back. Sasuke opened the door to see a man with orange hair sitting on the metal floor. He turned to see Sasuke and he grinned maniacally.

"Bingo! I'm going to kill you!" The guy charged at Sasuke to attack. Sasuke had gone into a defensive position but that did no good. Tukiko and Karin had to jump out of the way just as the guy slammed Sasuke into the wall.

"Sasuke!" gasped Tukiko. She stared at the man who had just hit Sasuke. She was shocked to see that his arm had turned almost monster like.

"It's not over yet!" the guy chuckled maniacally. He pressed Sasuke harder into the wall. Dust flew everywhere and Tukiko had to cover her eyes. When the dust cleared, she opened her eyes to see that something had blocked off the guy's attack. She gasped to see it was a giant winglike hand. What was worse was that it was from Sasuke. The guy laughed. "Not another copy of me! But you're quite a guy to be able to do a partial transformation!" The hand let go of the guy and he jumped back. He grinned. "You're good at controlling your Curse mark!"

Sasuke stepped back to the ground as if nothing happened. He looked up to the guy.

"I have no intentions of fighting you. I only wish to talk to you, Juugo."

"Talk?" Juugo just grinned. "You're strong! The first copy of this caliber since Kimimaro!" He charged at Sasuke again but a blade stopped him. Tukiko saw it was Suigetsu. Suigetsu skidded back, grinning himself.

"You didn't use that power last time, Juugo. So hard too..." He mused to himself. Juugo was confused at the appearance of Suigetsu. "Sasuke, I want to take this guy on. And Karin, you'll get it later."

Karin scowled and Tukiko only wondered what she did.

The markings on Sasuke's face started to retract as he said, "Stop, Suigetsu. We didn't come here to fight. I'll talk to him."

"He isn't someone you can just talk to. You have to force him to listen."

"Oh, you're Suigetsu! I remember now!" Juugo said. Juugo attacked Suigetsu but he held his on. The two started to fight and Tukiko wanted them to stop. She was worried that Suigetsu would get hurt by this guy. "Hey, guys, stop it!" she shouted for them to stop. They didn't stop and ignored her. They were about to slam into each other again. However, something stopped them. Snakes wrapped around the both of them to make them halt in their tracks. The snakes actually came from Sasuke's sleeves.

Sasuke glared at the two of them with his Sharingan activated. "Do you want me to kill the both of you?" he asked in a cold tone. Tukiko shivered at her brother's tone. The killer intent that radiated off of Sasuke was very scary. It was like Tukiko's when she was pissed off. The snakes retracted back to his sleeves. Juugo and Suigetsu were frozen with fear.

Juugo's marks retracted back as he finally came into realization. He looked around before he screamed in fear, running back into the metal room. Tukiko blinked. He sounded really scared and different than from a moment ago.

"Hurry up and lock me in here!" he begged them.

"Juugo, I came here to set you free," Sasuke said. "Join me."

"He's afraid?" Tukiko asked.

Karin shook her head. "No...That's not it."

"I don't want to kill anymore! I don't want to go outside! Leave me be!" Juugo pleaded from inside his cell. Tukiko gave a silent gasp. All of that sounded so familiar to her. But why?

_Poor Juugo...He's so afraid of killing..._ Tukiko actaully felt bad for the guy. He was afraid to come out because he didn't want to kill. She felt so bad for him.

Unconsiouslly, Tukiko walked to the door and hung her head, not knowing any of the words she was saying.

"JuJu? Please come outside," she softly said. "You don't have to stay here anymore. Orochimaru is gone! You're free to go!"

"...Ju...Ju?" He asked, surprised at the name. "I don't want to go outside! Lock me in here! I don't want to kill anymore!"

"Don't worry. I will act as your prison." Sasuke appeared next to Tukiko, speaking to Juugo through the door. "I can stop you."

"What the hell can you do? The only person who can stop me is Kimimaro. If Kimimaro isn't here, then I'm not coming out!"

"Please Juugo! I don't want to see you hurting so much from being trapped in here." Tukiko pounded the door with her fist. "Sasuke's going through a lot just to get you!"

"Sasuke...Uchiha?" Juugo was even more surprised. "You're the one who Kimimaro died for?"

"Yes. Kimimaro died for me," Sasuke responded.

There was a slight pause. The door suddenly opened for Juugo to come out. Tukiko stumbled back in surprise and stared up at Juugo. Juugo stepped outside and stared down at Tukiko, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He gasped at her.

"...Tukiko?" He asked with uncertainity.

"Wait, have you guys met?" Suigetsu asked the two of them.

Tukiko frowned, staring up at him. He seemed familiar but nothing was hitting her. She shook her head. "I'm...sorry. I don't think we've ever met. We might have...if I actually did stay here when I was eight but I can't remember." She bowed to Juugo. "I'm sorry if we have met. I just can't remember."

"Oh." Juugo seemed a bit disappointed. He actually did know Tukiko when she had stayed here. She was always so stubborn to do anything that Orochimaru asked her. She usually went to him when she was running from him. Tukiko was probably the only other person who cared about him. "It's alright."

Tukiko sighed. She really did wish that she could remember but she couldn't. Maybe she could. Someday.

After the group got out of the base, Sasuke had finally gotten his team together to explain why they were gathered.

"Now, I'll tell you my motive," Sasuke had told them. Tukiko sighed, knowing exactly what he was going to say. She closed her eyes as he said, "My mission is to kill Itachi Uchiha of Akatsuki. To that end, I want your power."

"Why am I not surprised?" Tukiko said loudly, glaring at Sasuke. She still thought this whole revenge thing was stupid. Itachi didn't want to tell Sasuke the truth and wanted him to kill him. This was ridiculous. That was why both of her brothers were idiots.

"Of course, I won't force you." Sasuke turned to Karin. "Karin, you said you had some other business to attend to so what will you do?"

"Ah, right..." Karin seemed flustered when she was called out. "Well, I've thought about it and there's no rush so..."

"Karin, be honest," Suigetsu said to her. "Don't you just want to be at Sasuke's side?"

Karin freaked out at that. "T-That's not my reason! Who would ever say such a thing!"

He grinned. "So that's it! I heard that in the past you had a crush on Sas-"

Before he could finish that sentence, Karin hit him. She was really pissed off that he would say that in front of others.

"Suigetsu, stop pissing off Karin. I told you to cooperate."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. My bad, Karin." Suigetsu continued to grin even after that. "I guess I'll stick around with you Sasuke. I want to get Kisame Hoshigaki's blade since he's Itachi's partner."

"Someone's compensating by collecting swords," Karin muttered. Suigetsu shot her a nasty glare.

"Since you're not forcing them, can I go back to Konoha?" Tukiko asked, next in line.

"No."

"Why not!?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Just because."

He turned to Juugo next. This only made Tukiko pissed. Why the hell would Sasuke keep her around for? She was only get in the way! She didn't want to go hunt down their brother. Sasuke was actually going to be pissed that she had communicated with Itachi while he was gone.

Tukiko sighed, running a hand through her hair. She had a feeling that more drama was going to come. She just knew it.

---

Okay, I felt like this chapter wasn't as good as I thought it was. I couldn't seem to find the ending for it. I'm updating early because I recently updated Confused Gender so I thought I would update today. Your welcome.

Oh, before I forget, has anyone watched _New Moon_ yet? I loved it! I watched it last Friday with my brother of all people. I watched the first one with him too which is weird. I liked the movie but I couldn't enjoy the movie as much as I would have liked. The thing is I'm taking this film class at school where we watch movies and study them. We have to find the deeper meanings of the movies we watch like we studied movies like Alfred Hitchcock's voyeur films (_Vertigo, Rear Window,_ and _Psycho)_, _Jaws_ (which I almost had a heart attack from so many surprises. I actually shouted in surprise at one part), _The Wizard of Oz,_ and _Cabaret._ Anyway, the Friday that _New Moon_ came out, my class was talking about the skills we learned. My classmates said that now when they watch movies, they end up analyzing everything. Even the ones we watch for fun. My teacher also said we would do that. I thought it wouldn't apply to me, but _New Moon _proved me wrong. At the beginning parts, I instantly noticed a lot of things like how Edward was talking about death as he and Bella were watching Romeo and Juliet. Later in the movie, I actually realized that the part where he thinks that Bella was dead (Sorry! Spoiler for those who didn't read the books!) and he tried to kill himself was a lot like Romeo poisoning himself after thinking Juliet died when she was actually asleep. I was like, "Dude! If I noticed that, I can't enjoy the movie because I'll be noticing everything to do with the plot!" Ugh, I hate analyzing things I watch for fun.

Sorry, long rant! Please review!


	13. Realizations

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 13

"Sasuke, where are we going?" Tukiko asked with a yawn. The four of them, now known as Team Hebi, have been walking for some time now. She had no idea where they were going. Sasuke wouldn't say anything.

"Hn." was the answer that Sasuke always gave her. She pouted at him, grumbling and cursing at him. All she did was ask where they were going. She wished that they still had that mind link ability they used to have so she could understand him again.

_What I wouldn't give for some time away from these guys,_ Tukiko wished with all her heart. She was tired of hearing Karin and Suigetsu argue back and forth. It got so annoying. Not only that, it reminded her of Naruto and Sakura. They always used to fight. The thought of her friends made her heart pang with homesickness. She missed them. She wondered if they were worried about her. She told Sakura that she would be back before she left for her now completed mission. The pink haired girl must have been worried. The same with Neji if he ever found out she was being forced to join this team. She knew he would if Tsunade told him about the letter she sent to her. She sighed. _I hope Neji doesn't kill her._

"We're here."

Tukiko snapped out of it at Sasuke's voice. She peered past his form and saw a rundown old city she knew so well. She let out a smile. Yes! They were going there! Why didn't she think of that before?

"No way! We're going there?" she excitedly asked Sasuke. He gave a curt nod. Tukiko laughed delightfully. She hadn't been there in awhile. She wanted to see everyone there again.

"Do you know where we're going?" Juugo asked her as they started to walk towards the run down city.

"Of course! This place was where I used to go to when I was very little. The people there are like family to me," Tukiko explained. "And I can finally change clothes too! I'm tired of being in these clothes. It's starting to get too cold around here and I need something warmer."

They entered the city by now and walked through the deserted streets. They entered one of the buildings that led slightly underground. This didn't scare Tukiko very much though. This place was a part of her childhood. There was no way she was going to be afraid of something that was special to commented that this place couldn't have been one of Orochimaru's hideouts. It wasn't. It was actually her clan's weapon storage. She vaguely heard Karin comment how stifling it was to be here. That is, until she heard another voice.

"Sorry if it's depressing here."

Team Hebi all turned around to see two little cats wearing small yukata shirts. She smiled at them while Sasuke nodded.

"It's been a long time, Denka and Hina..."

One of the cats smiled. "If it ain't Sasuke and Tukiko!"

"What are you guys doing here?" One of the other cats asked while jumping into Tukiko's arms. She caught the cat and started petting him. When she did, he started to purr. She giggled.

"Weapons and medicine, and other things," Sasuke said to them. "We're preparing for battle."

"Cool! A talking tanuki!" Suigetsu knelt down and held out a hand for Hina. "Here, kitty, kitty! Come here!"

Hina arched his back and hissed at him when he got too close. Suigetsu retracted his hand before he was scratched.

"They're ninja cats. Be careful not to feed them. They bite," Sasuke warned him.

"Aw but why don't they bite Tukiko?" he whined.

"Because they actually like me. Either that or they're going to me for that fish I owe them," Tukiko explained.

"Yeah, you still owe us that!" Denka said from her arms.

"I'll give it to you later!" She scratched him behind the ears. This made him purr yet again.

"Did you bring us a present?" Hina asked Sasuke.

Sasuke took out a small bottle from his pack.

"Here's a bottle of catnip."

Hina jumped up and grabbed the bottle from his hands. Then he went over to Tukiko's feet.

"Can we have that fish now?"

"Later! You already have your bottle of catnip. The fish I got for you two is way too big for you to carry alone," Tukiko reprimended.

"Aww! Fine."

Tukiko put Denka back on the floor so that he and Hina could lead them to where Granny Cat was. The group followed the two cats. After turning many corners, they arrived at one large room. Tukiko poked her head through first to see an old lady surrounded by cats on the floor. She smiled and bounded over to the woman. "Granny Cat! It's so good to see you again!"

"It is nice to see you as well, little Tukiko," Granny Cat said, hugging Tukiko. She let go of the girl, scanning the girl in front of her. She nodded. "Just as I thought. You are more like Mikoto now. You look exactly like her when she was your age." She looked over to Sasuke who came up behind Tukiko. "I see you've brought Sasuke."

Tukiko laughed nervously, stepping back from the woman. "Well, he's the one who has brought me. I was forced to follow him." She rolled her eyes. "By the way, do you have my spare clothes?"

She nodded. "Yes. They're in the dresser." She lifted a finger over to one of the dressers by the wall.

"Thank you!" Tukiko quickly bowed to her before going to the dresser to get some clothes to wear.

While she was doing that, Sasuke was speaking to Granny Cat, Suigetsu was trying to pet one of the cats, Karin was just standing there uncomfortably, and Hana, Granny Cat's granddaughter, was finding a shirt for Juugo. Tukiko had grabbed some clothes and hid behind one of the curtains to change.

Just as she did that, Suigetsu had stood up to look around the room. He wanted to see the things there was. He walked over to one of the walls to see a bunch of picture frames hanging from there. He looked at each one, surprised that the Uchihas in the photos resembled Sasuke and Tukiko a lot. He had to admit, the Uchihas weren't only blessed with intelligence but as well as their looks. Near the end of the photo line, he was surprised with one of them.

"Hey, is that Sasuke and...Sasuke?" Suigetsu said in confusion. "Why's he wearing a dress?"

"What?" Karin came over to Suigetsu and looked over his shoulder. What she saw was surprising as well.

What the two of them were looking at was a photo of Sasuke when he was four. The thing was that there was someone beside him who looked exactly the same as him. The only difference was that the other boy was wearing a dress. The two of them were sitting under a tree, both of them were alseep by the way their eyes were closed and leaning on the other for support. They were also holding hands. But the Sasuke not wearing the dress had a bandage on his cheek and both of them had tearstains on their faces.

"That's so weird. Why are there two Sasuke's and why is one of them wearing a dress?" Suigetsu asked.

"Don't know..." Karin was blushing a bit. She thought that both of them were so cute because they were Sasuke when he was little. She didn't care that one of them was wearing a dress. It was so adorable!

Suigetsu moved onto the next picture and frowned. He jabbed a finger at it.

"Look! Here's _another_ one with Sasuke and his clone!"

Karin switched photos to see another one of Sasuke and his clone. This time, they were older; however, they were twelve years old. The two were in some park by the way there were cherry blossom trees behind him. Sasuke's clone, who was wearing a dark blue tanktop and a white skirt, was on the back of Sasuke, putting his chin on Sasuke's shoulder smiling. Sasuke was holding onto his clone and was, surprisingly to Suigetsu and Karin, smiling. It seemed like it was a genuine smile too. The two gaped at the photo.

"That's so weird. I never pegged Sasuke for someone who would actually smile," Suigetsu exclaimed.

"Me either! Sasuke never would smile," Karin chimed in. She felt a bit saddened that Sasuke didn't smile like he was in that photo. No one had ever seen the boy smile even when he came to Orochimaru.

"Oh, are you guys looking at our old pictures?" Tukiko's voice exclaimed behind them.

The two both turned to see Tukiko. Suigetsu was almost drooling at the sight of her while Karin glared daggers at her. Tukiko smiled at their reactions.

Tukiko was wearing a blood red yukata shirt that fit her like a dress. Underneath it, she was wearing a fishnet dress with shorts on. She wore a black obi that almost covered her whole abdomen area. On top of that obi was a dark blue ribbon that worked as a sash for her katana, stashed just behind her. She wore her fingerless arm guards and knee high black ninja shoes. Her hair was down so her Konoha hitai-ate was on her head like a headband. For accessories, she had her Uchiha choker back on with the chain that held her engagement ring.

"Do you like it?" Tukiko gave a small twirl, showing off her clothes. "I found it in one of the dressers." She giggled before walking up to the wall of pictures. She gasped, pointing a picture of Sasuke and his clone when they were little. "I don't remember this one. Mom or Aniki must have taken it when we were asleep. This was taken right after me and Sasuke physically fought for the first and last time."

Both Karin and Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.

"You and Sasuke?"

"But this is a picture of Sasuke and someone who's a clone of him."

Tukiko frowned at the both of them, putting her hands on her hips. She shook her head.

"Sasuke and his clone? Please." She rolled her eyes. "He only _wishes_ it was a clone. The reason that it looks like that person," she pointed at the Sasuke wearing the dress, "can be mistakened for Sasuke's clone is because that's his twin."

At this, Karin and Suigetsu's eyes bugged out of their heads.

"T-Twin?" Karin stuttered. On the inside, she was ecstatic. One Sasuke was good but someone who looked like Sasuke...!

"Whoa, what?! Sasuke has a _twin brother?!"_ Suigetsu exclaimed.

Tukiko smacked the both of them on the heads for that statement. She glared at them. "No, you idiots! Look closer! That's his _twin_ _sister_! Why do you think that she's wearing a dress!?" she exclaimed at the two of them. "They're identical twins. That's why the girl looks more like Sasuke."

"Wait, you say that this is of Sasuke and his twin sister and you said earlier this was of you and Sasuke," Karin stated, deducing everything that the girl has said. Tukiko nodded. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Tukiko. "Then that means that you're...!"

Suigetsu's jaw dropped, getting what Karin was saying. He stared at Tukiko in shock, who began to smile.

"Yes. I'm actually Sasuke's twin sister, Tukiko Uchiha."

"But that's impossible! You look _nothing_ like Sasuke!" Suigetsu accused her.

Tukiko raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Don't I?" She pulled her hair up into that spikey ponytail again, her face falling to deadpan. She stared at them with serious eyes that looked exactly like Sasuke's. They shivered. She was right. She had to be Sasuke's twin. No one could look scairly similar to him like that.

"If you were Sasuke's twin, why didn't you tell us when I first met you?" Suigetsu asked in distress.

"You never asked." Tukiko moved her eyes over to the next photo of when they were twelve. She smiled sadly at the photo. "I remember this one. It was the first and last time I ever got to see Sasuke smile for a camera after our clan died."

This was a memory that Tukiko cherished the most. It was right after the Chunin exams were over and the two decided to do with their time. The two ended up going to the park and played hide and seek. Sasuke was it at the time and he tried to find Tukiko. But while he was searching, Tukiko was hiding in one of the trees. What she didn't know was that it was near a raven's nest. She was so close to the nest that the mother raven thought she was going to be after her eggs. The raven ended up attacking Tukiko and making her fall out of the tree. She ended up landing in a bush below. When Sasuke found her, Tukiko looked silly with feathers and twigs in her hair. Surprisingly, he had ended up laughing at the sight of his sister. Tukiko was surprised at the sound of her brother's laugh. It had been so long since she had heard it. The photo was taken by a man who volunteered to take their picture in the park. He took the picture and gave it to Tukiko. Ever since then, Tukiko had cherished the photo and gave to Granny Cat to hold.

Tukiko gave a depressed sigh. That was the last time she ever saw Sasuke laugh and smile out in public. "That was a long time ago."

"But I don't get it. You say you hate Sasuke but he's your brother, isn't he?" Juugo asked, adjusting the curtain that he was using as his new clothes.

Tukiko frowned, hanging her head. She did hate Sasuke even though he was her brother. It was the same way with Sasuke towards Itachi but it wasn't quite the same.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Over with Sasuke, he may not have looked like it but he was feeling guilty right now. He had made his own twin sister hate him all because he ran. He also had to lie to her when he left that he hated her. It was the opposite.

Yes, it was true. Sasuke didn't truly hate his sister. He never had. One of those facts was supported by keeping her bracelet when Naruto threw it at him back in the Valley of End. He only said those things so that it would make it easier for the both of them for his departure. But never had he thought that Tukiko would end up hating him for all of those things. Hell, he didn't even know that she had almost died and became mute when he left. Sasuke had put so much pain on his sister...That was enough to make him feel so guilty. But he would never show it.

A little while later, the team had gathered all of their supplies and were ready to head out. Now outside, Tukiko stood away from the group as they stood in the rain. She didn't want to be apart of this mission of Sasuke's. She didn't want to go and kill Itachi. After he had allowed Deidara and her to marry, how could she kill him? He only wanted her to be happy. Why couldn't he do the same for himself?

_If only Itachi told him the truth..._

Tukiko closed her eyes, sighing. Unnoticed from the others, they did not see her tears fall gently down her cheeks.

---

Ok, so there's the chapter. Sorry this note is really short but I gotta get to school. Please review!


	14. End of an artist

Disclaimer: I hardly own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 14

Tukiko trailed after Sasuke as they walked somewhere outside of a town nearby. Sasuke had sent the others to go gather any information about the Akatsuki; specifically, Itachi. Sasuke decided to keep Tukiko nearby, in fear that she would run away. He and Tukiko hadn't had any time together ever since they were reunited. Still, they would gather information on the Akatsuki but they could probably spend quality time together. He knew that Tukiko didn't even want to be anywhere near him but he had to at least try. What Sasuke didn't know was that he had a reliable source on the Akatsuki right near him.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to see if Tukiko was still there. She was. Tukiko was hardly paying attention to Sasuke as her eyes were dazed. Her hands were fiddling with a ring on a chain around her neck. Every now and then, she would bit her lip or furrow her brow in thought. Sasuke looked closer at the ring. It was the one that Suigetsu had retrieved after a man had stolen it from her. He could also remember the exact words she had said when Suigetsu and her were discussing the ring.

_"Uh, you don't need to do anything. But that ring looked like an engagement ring. You getting married?"_

_"Well...yeah. I know I look a bit young to be getting married but you never know these days when you're going to die what with being a shinobi."_

Tukiko was getting married. That much he knew. But the very thought of her getting married pissed him off. He couldn't believe that Tukiko was still getting married to that idiot of a Hyuuga, Neji! She was going to be turning sixteen in the matter of a few months. After she would get married, she would no longer be the kunoichi she is and be a petty little housewife! To make matters worse, it seemed like Tukiko didn't care that she was getting married to Neji. Before, she used to care but now it didn't seem like it. She was actually excited to be getting married! How much had his sister change?

"You're getting married?" Sasuke asked, acting like he wasn't in the least bit interested in the subject. In truth, he actually was. He wanted to see why Tukiko had stopped fighting her engagement.

"Huh?" Tukiko blinked several times, processing that Sasuke had just spoken. It took a while for his question to get through her head. When it did, Tukiko scowled, dropping her engagement ring. "Yeah? What of it?"

Sasuke halted in his steps, silently bewildered that his sister just said it so calmly. Didn't she care that she was getting married to someone she didn't love? He stared at Tukiko blankly.

"What do you see in him?"

Tukiko's eyes twitched. Why was Sasuke asking about her engagement? She thought he didn't care about her or her life anymore. She put her hands on her hips in fury. "Why are you asking me about my engagement? What I do is what I do! Stop acting like you care, Sasuke. You and I both know that you don't really care about what I do."

Sasuke frowned at her. It was expected that Tukiko would think he didn't care about her anymore. He told her so himself when they were twelve. But why couldn't Tukiko see that he _did_ care about her? What sibling or twin for that matter would go as low and say that they didn't care about their twin? Their best friend? He would never go as low as do that. He promised their mother that they would never stop caring for each other.

"Tukiko...stop acting like you think that I don't care," he gently told her.

The tone in Sasuke's voice must have scared her because she tensed up. Tukiko knew that couldn't be right. She began to shake with anger. How many times has he showed that he might have cared when he really didn't? Acting was one thing but now lying?

"Look Uchiha! Stop lying to me when you say that you care! You've never cared!" Tukiko yelled at him. She was getting pissed off at him again. "Did you care that you were going to take my half of the curse mark? No! Did you care that you were hurting everyone of your friends? No! Did you care that you were going to kill me when you left! Of course not! So stop all of this crap you're spewing that you _say_ you care when you obviously don't."

That hurt Sasuke right there. Everything that she had said was true. If he did care about her, he shouldn't have shown that he didn't when he left. But leaving was the only way that he could try to help protect her. When Itachi came back to kill her, he would be ready to defend her. (A/N: Just so you guys know, Sasuke is still under the impression that Itachi is still out to kill Tukiko to make him hate him even more. What he doesn't know is that Itachi wasn't even planning on killing Tukiko in the first place) He had to gain power to protect his only living relative he had left.

Sasuke was about to tell her all of this when he felt a chakra signature near them. Tukiko noticed the chakra signal as well. Both twins turned to the trees that were on their side, since they stood at the very edge of the forest.

"Come out," both of them ordered coldly.

"Oops! Looks like I've been caught!" A male child-like voice said. From the shadows of the forest, a man stepped out. He was a strange sight to behold. By what the two could tell, the only thing significant about the man was that he wore a bright orange swirly mask with only one eyehold. That was all they could get from his features except for the mop of black hair on his head. Other than that, he wore the Akatsuki robe. The man seemed to stare at the two. "So you guys are Sasuke-kun and Tukiko-chan, huh? You both look like Itachi-san."

Sasuke shot a nasty glare at the man, making him flinch. He jumped back into the trees, hiding behind it.

"S-Scary!"

Tukiko tilted her head at the actions and appearance of the man. For some strange reason, he seemed vaguely familiar. She hadn't seen him before at all but the way his appearance looked made her think she knew him. Had she seen him before? Or did she hear about him? She thought no more of that as she felt a familar chakra signature approach the two of them. Tukiko tensed up and tilted her head to see a flash of yellow before Sasuke grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her to protect her from any harm.

There was a loud explosion all around them but they weren't harmed. At least, Tukiko didn't feel like she was dead. She opened her eyes-which she didn't know were closed-to see that a huge snake had wrapped all around them, protecting them from the blast. It was Sasuke's doing. There was no doubt about it. Sasuke was the only one who could summon snakes.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked with mild concern though it was actually huge concern. He was worried that she might have been hurt during the blast. Tukiko numbly nodded. She was still in shock that he had saved her. Sasuke let go of her, turning to the person who tried to kill them and glaring at them with his Sharingan. The dust cleared and the snake disappeared.

When the snake disappeared, Tukiko felt her eyes widen when she saw Deidara standing near the man with the orange mask. She stood to her feet in shock. What was he doing here? Wasn't he suppposed to be somewhere else? And did Deidara just try to kill her? But why?

"Deidara?" Tukiko said in shock.

Deidara turned at the sound of her voice and was shocked to see Tukiko standing there next to Sasuke. "Tukiko!? What the hell are you doing here, hm!?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? And did you just try to kill me?" Tukiko demanded from her fiance. Her own fiance just tried to kill her and Sasuke! She was going through enough crap as it was! Why did her loved one try to kill them?

"I wasn't trying to kill you! I was trying to kill the Uchiha, yeah!" Deidara hastily explained. Actually, he didn't see Tukiko there next to Sasuke when he tried to blow him up. His plans on killing Sasuke were going to be much harder with her around.

"Ne, Deidara-senpai, do you know Tukiko-chan?" the man with the swirly mask asked.

"How the hell do you know my sister?" Sasuke hissed at Deidara. His cold _Sharingan_ eyes glared at the blond haired man. How in the world could someone from Akatsuki know of his sister?

At the glare, Deidara couldn't help but smirk.

"Look at the nice glare he's giving us Tobi, yeah."

"Deidara..." Tukiko growled, her own eyes turned a blood red. She knew that he would do this! He was planning on killing Sasuke for hurting her! Ugh! She didn't want Sasuke to die, as much as she hated to say so. "I told you not to go after Sasuke! You promised me!"

"I'm not going to forgive him for hurting you!" Deidara yelled at her. Tukiko flinched at the yell. She had never been on the recieving end of his anger before. Usually it was him being on the recieving end of her anger. With him yelling at her, it scared her. But she stood strong.

"But I'm going to have to apologize to Itachi-san later," muttered the orange masked man.

"Where's Itachi Uchiha? Tell me and I'll let you go." Sasuke demanded from the two Akatsuki members at the sound of Itachi's name. Deidara looked at Sasuke's and tensed up at the sight of them. He gritted his teeth, glaring at him.

_Oh no..._Tukiko bit her lip, glancing between her fiance and brother. She had a feeling that this would happen if they were ever to meet. Deidara just hated the _Sharingan_ because of Itachi. He actually hated all Uchihas for that matter, except for Tukiko. He told her that the Uchihas were pretty stupid for having to rely on their bloodline to be famous. If they didn't have the _Sharingan_, they wouldn't even be famous in the first place. Tukiko couldn't help but agree with him there. Her family _did_ rely on their eyes for every battle they did. If she didn't have her eyes, she would be in a disadvantage. That was why she tried hard not to use her ability most of the time. It was hard to, though.

"_Sharingan_, eh? You really are Itachi's little brother," Deidara commented with bitterness. "You were only able to kill Orochimaru thanks to your Uchiha blood. You're nothing but a fool blessed with good genes!"

Deidara and Sasuke glared at each other, turning the tension up a notch. Tukiko thought that both of them were ready to kill each other!

In a flash, Sasuke made the first move. He charged at the two of them, katana in hand. He slashed right through the orange masked man. Tukiko held her breath but let it go seeing Deidera jump out of the way in time. She actually thought that he was going to die. Deidara landed on a tree branch while his partner ended up collasping. Sasuke glared up at him.

"One down. I'll just ask you about Itachi."

Tukiko gasped in surprise as the orange masked man, Tobi, stood to his feet as if that slash was nothing. How could he still stand? He was hit in a vital area! Like before, Tukiko just thought that Akatsuki was made up of weirdos. None of them seemed like they would die quickly.

"What're you doing, Tobi!? Don't let your guard down just because he's a kid!" Deidara scolded Tobi as if he were a child.

"His _Shunshin no jutsu_ is too quick. We're no match for him!" Tobi said with an excuse.

Tukiko felt a lightbulb go off in her head. Oh! This was the guy that Deidara told her about! His new partner after Sasori died. Tukiko stuided the man. Huh. He didn't look that bad or annoying. He may have been child-like but there was something about him that bothered her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tukiko saw Deidara put his hands into his bags of clay. He pulled out to bring out small bombs that would turn into spiders. "Tobi! Grab Tukiko and stay back!" he ordered his partner. He threw the bombs into the air. Tobi began to panic and grabbed Tukiko around the waist to get out of the way of the explosion. She gasped at the sudden touch. Tobi almost started to run away until he ended up tripping. Both of them landed on the ground hard. Just as they fell, Deidara's bombs landed near them when Deidara almost let them explode. "Deidara-sempai! Time out! Don't do it!" Tobi wailed.

Tukiko shoved herself up to a sitting position. She turned over to where Deidara was. Her eyes widened when she saw Sasuke swoop down behind him. "Deidera, look out! Behind you!"

Deidara tensed up when he sensed Sasuke right above him. He made another clay spider as Sasuke swooped down on him and made the spider explode.

"Sasuke!" Tukiko gasped. She knew that Deidara wouldn't die from such a low explosion but she was worried that Sasuke was. Which was strange because she kept telling herself that she didn't care about him.

"Will you shut up?!" Deidara shouted, sliding away from the explosion. He was speaking to his partner who thought he had died. He looked at the distressed Tukiko. She sighed in relief when she saw that Sasuke didn't die. He frowned. "Why are you so relieved? I thought you wanted your brother dead, hm."

"I said I hated him but I don't want him dead!" Tukiko yelled at him. By this time, she was near tears. She didn't want these two to start fighting. She was afraid of the outcome of the battle. If Deidara won, she lost her twin brother. But if Sasuke won, she lost the love of her life. Tukiko tugged at Deidara's cloak. "Please don't fight Sasuke! I know he hurt me but I don't want him dead. You shouldn't fight one of my only relatives left!"

"No! I'm not going to let it pass that he nearly _killed_ you, yeah!" Deidara wretched his arm away from her and reahced into his clay bags. His palms ate up the clay and he pulled them out. His palms spat out the clay. Tukiko and Tobi glanced over to see what it made and were surprised. Deidara made the clay creation larger to make a large clay dragon.

"Ooh, Deidara-senpai's favorite art technique, the C2 dragon!" Tobi exclaimed.

"Deidara..." Tukiko knew that he was serious about killing Sasuke. He loved to make this when he was about to kill someone he knew was strong. Tukiko felt a sob go up her throat. "Please..." her voice cracked. "Don't kill him..."

Deidara sighed. He smiled sadly at her.

"Sorry but I have to. I can't have you getting in my way, either."

"What?" Tukiko lifted her head to see what he was talking about. She barely realized that he had reached a hand over to her shoulder. He grabbed it roughly, making her give a short scream. Then she lost all feeling in her body and was lost to the darkness.

---

_It was night time as an eleven year old Tukiko stood just outside the gates of Iwakagure. On her back was her usual pack that she used when she traveled. Her grey eyes stared sadly at the gates, sorrow filling her soul._

_It had been nearly a year since she had come to Iwa thanks to her best friend, Deidara. She spent the entire time in Iwa with Deidara, learning new techniques and lessons. A year since she had spent her time getting closer to her savior..._

_Tukiko sighed sadly. Tonight, she was making a hard decision for her. She was leaving Iwa to continue her travels. She had stayed too long in Iwa. Everyday she stayed here was more of a chance for someone from Konoha to come and find her. If she were found, she could never become the kunoichi she trained so hard to become. Her dreams would wash away with her tears as she was getting married. She couldn't stay in Iwa any longer. She had to keep moving._

But I don't want to leave..._She thought to herself. Tukiko wanted to stay in Iwa longer. That couldn't happen. _I made so many friends here. It's going to be so hard if I leave now without telling anyone. The Tsuchikage...Akatsuchi...Deidara...

_That last name made her chest pang with hurt. That boy was special to her as much as she didn't like it. Truth be told, Tukiko had grown fond of Deidara. At the beginning, she and him argued because their personalities just didn't fit. They couldn't seem to get along and it grew even worse as they were forced to live together. But as time moved on, they started to respect each other and even became best friends. What was worse was that Tukiko had soon started to develop feelings for the blond haired artist. She yelled at herself for that. She couldn't have a crush on someone! It would make things harder like now! If she ended up having feelings for someone, it would only make her sad when she left. They probably wouldn't be able to see each other ever again._

_She gave another sigh._

I have to go...I'm just making things harder for me if I stay...

_Tukiko took one last look at the gates before she started to walk away. However, she halted when she heard her name being called. She gave a slight gasp at the familiarity of the voice. Turning, she saw Deidara running towards her. Deidara halted in front of her, panting slightly and glaring at her with eyes that enraged the oceans._

_"What are you doing here, Dei?" Tukiko asked in surprise._

_"Where the hell do you think you're going, hm!?" he hissed at her. "Why are you leaving without saying goodbye?!"_

_Tukiko felt the tears that threatened to fall earlier finally let loose. "I-I..." She shook her head, lifting a hand to wipe away her tears. This was hard as it was. He was just making this harder._

_Deidara's eyes softened at the crying girl. His shoulders sulked._

_"Why are you going? Aren't you happy here? Did we do something wrong, yeah?"_

_"No! It's not you...It's me..." Tukiko sniffled, wiping away her falling tears. "I-I can't stay here any longer, Dei. I'm not from Iwa. If I stay here longer, I would never be able go back to my birth place...I would never get to see my brothers again. It's not like I want to leave either."_

_"But...Why can't you stay!? All of us would miss you! Me more than ever..." Deidara sighed, letting his hair hang over one of his eyes. He seemed to turn red at something he was thinking. "L-Look...I don't want you to leave, hm. I...I l-like you. A lot." Tears appeared at the corner of his eyes. "If you left, I don't know what I'll do! You're actually one of the few people who know me! Please...don't go."_

_Tukiko stared up at the teen. So he liked her too...? That was...great! In a way. She knew that her heart would break if she didn't tell Deidara how she felt but she would feel even worse if she did tell him. She couldn't be emotionally tied down to one place. She liked Deidara..a lot actually. Tukiko decided then and there that she may not be able to find someone who would return her feelings so she would have to do the next best thing._

_Deidara lifted his forearm to wipe away his tears but was stopped when he felt warm lips on his own. He stared in wide eyed shocked as Tukiko had gotten on her tippy toes to kiss him on the lips. Her eyes were closed, enjoying the kiss as much as she could. Deidara didn't know what to do. He let his own eyes close and snaked his hand to her hair to pull her closer._

_The two stayed like that for several moments, letting only the cresent moon above witness this act of love. After a few more seconds, Tukiko pulled away first. She opened her eyes at the same time as Deidara and smiled._

_"I...I like you too. But I can't stay here any more. I'll be caught by Konoha ninjas if I stay longer and if they found me here, they'll think you kidnapped me."_

_"But we would protect you, hm!" confidently said Deidara. "We'll never let them bring you back to that place. And what about me?" He stopped when Tukiko placed a finger on his lips. She smiled sadly._

_"I like the gesture but I can't. Konoha is my home but so is Iwa. And Deidara...I don't want to leave you either. But I don't want to be in a relationship before I can break that wedding contract on my head." She smiled slyly. "I suppose I could reconsider for your sake though."_

_Deidara was a bit shocked at this. He realized what she said and smiled brightly. He wanted Tukiko but not when she was going to marry someone else. He could wait for her until then. No matter how long it took._

_Tukiko promised Deidara that she would break her contract then come back to him when it was all over. With final goodbyes, Tukiko gave one last smile at Deidara before disappearing from his sight._

_---_

Tukiko regained consiousness again, waking up with a start. Her _Sharingan_ was activated upon awakening to see that she was lying the forest floor. She sat up, looking around. She was alone. But she wasn't alone, she knew that. She could feel two other faint chakra signals nearby. They were Sasuke and Deidara's. Her breathing grew frantic as she felt a foreboding feeling.

_Oh no...I hope that they aren't...!_

Tukiko didn't finish that thought as she stood to her feet and dashed into the forest. She was heading over to the faint chakra signals nearby. She bit her lip, praying to whatever gods there was that they didn't fight. The gods had not listened to her silent plea. There was the sound of something heavy dropping to the ground on her left. Turning her head to that direction, Tukiko gasped as she saw Deidara fall to the ground. Sasuke stood nearby, blue electricity bouncing off his body. Both men were in terrible shape. Sasuke had even lost his shoe!

"Deidara-kun!" Tukiko ran over to Deidara and dropped by his side. She helped him sit up for he was exhausted with no chakra left. She bit back a sob as she glared at him. "Dei, I told you n-not to pick a fight with Sasuke!" That sob broke out at the end of her sentence.

"Tukiko, get away from him!" Sasuke ordered her. He had nearly died because of that blond haired man and she goes to _his_ side? He would never allow his sister to be near a terroist. One that was crazy about art and almost killed him! He was shocked when Tukiko's _Sharingan_ eyes turned into a three bladed shuriken with a circle in the middle and turned them to him.

"No! I'm not going to let you kill my fiancé!" Tukiko hissed like a snake. She stood to her feet, standing in front of Deidara. "Just because you want to kill Aniki doesn't mean that you need to kill Deidara in the process! I love him whether you like it or not! If you try to kill him..." Her eyes swirled dangerously around her pupil. "I will kill you regardless of that promise."

"Fiance...?" Sasuke was shocked yet again. His sister wasn't engaged to that Hyuuga. She was engaged to an Akatsuki member! Which was ten times worse than being engaged to that tight assed Hyuga. Sasuke felt like he knew nothing about his sister anymore. He focused more on Deidara now. His eyes widened at what the man was doing.

Tukiko was about to draw out her katana when a hand on top of hers stopped her. She glanced over his shoulder to see it was Deidara. Her eyes widened considerably as she saw that black veins had covered his entire body. She knew what he was doing. She dropped her hand on her katana in shock. She fell to her knees, grabbing his hand. "No...Dei..."

"Tukiko, get the hell away from him!" Sasuke ordered his twin harshly. It didn't mean to come out like that but he was worried that Tukiko could get hurt on what was about to happen. Tukiko ignored him.

She stared at Deidara, not believing that his fight with Sasuke would come to _this._ Tears lined the edges of her eyes. "No, Deidara! Don't-Don't do this..." she shook her head, not believing any of this. She was surprised when her head was suddenly lifted up for warm lips to place themselves on her own. Tukiko instantly reacted. She pressed back with the same force but with more emotion. The kiss was desperate and grief striken. It ended quickly as Deidara pulled away, grinning.

"Sorry I'm breaking my promise, hm. We won't be able to have that wedding like I promised," he said in apology. His grin turned a bit manaical. "I'm going to turn into my greatest masterpeice! But that means I'm not going to be able to spend time with you anymore. Get out of here before you get caught in the explosion. I only want to take your brother down with me."

Tukiko let out a sob. "No! I don't want to leave! You mean everything to me. If you're gone, I-I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"If you're alive, you could still be the top ranking kunoichi you want to be! I want you to live." Deidara changed his grin to a soft smile. "You still have a future ahead of you, yeah. I'm just not in it."

"Deidara..." She broke out into tears. She wanted to hold onto him and never let go. How could Deidara say this? Didn't he know he meant the world to her? She gave out a yelp of surprise when he suddenly shoved her away just as his body disappeared. Tukiko landed in front of Sasuke before the bomb in Deidara's chest exploded. A bright light appeared in Tukiko's eyes as her tears flowed and a scream filled the air. The world went dark afterwards.

---

Hey! Merry Christmas eve to you all! This is my update which I shall be giving to you for Christmas! However, I'm sorry if this part was sad in anyway. It had to happen.

Anyways, I have to go. Christmas and all.

Merry Christmas everyone! And please review!


	15. Heartbroken

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 15

Tukiko broke through the surface of sleep to arrive in the land of the awake. The first thing she heard were voices that were familiar. It was hard to understand what they were saying for they were being heard through a muffled wall. It took awhile for her to understand what any of them were saying and who was the one speaking. That is, until she heard loud shouting.

"Shit! Juugo's freaking out!"

"Hurry, Sasuke!"

_Sas...uke?_ Tukiko thought in confusion. What was Sasuke doing in her room? Then it dawned on her. All memories of before came rushing back to her in full force. She gasped, bolting straight up and snapping her eyes open. She found that her surroundings were not of the room she thought she was in. They were strange, set in a traditional Japanese room with paper rice sliding doors and tatami mats. She was sitting by a futon that held Sasuke. He was in worse shape. All around the visible parts of his body were cuts and bruises. He was also covered in bandages. In front of his futon, Juugo had just collapsed to his knees. Karin and Suigetsu were holding him down. All three had fallen on the ground, breathing hard. _What...What are we doing here?_ She wondered. What had happened that made them stay somewhere for the time being? And why was Sasuke hurt?

Tukiko thought back to what had happened. It dawned on her as she realized something that made her whole world spin and collapse. She felt numb as tears appeared in her eyes and fell.

Suigetsu recovered from holding down Juugo. He looked up to see that Sasuke had fallen asleep. Glancing close by, he noticed that Tukiko had awakened as well. He gave a small grin but it disappeared when seeing tears fall down her pale face.

"Tukiko? You okay?" he asked the girl.

No response came from her. Only her body began to shake as more tears fell.

"What's wrong with her?" Karin sneered a bit. She thought the girl was pathetic for crying. Tukiko may have been Sasuke's twin sister but that didn't mean that she didn't have to like her.

"I don't know," said Juugo.

Suigetsu walked over to Tukiko and knelt in front of her. He saw that Tukiko began to shake uncontrollably, more of her tears falling. He grew concerned. Over the short period that he had known her, Suigetsu had grown fond of the Uchiha girl. She was unlike her brother in so many ways. Yet at the same time, she was. It was hard to explain the relationship they had. He placed a hand on her shoulder, tilting his head to look her in the face. "Tukiko?...Are you alright?" he asked.

The moment his hand touched her shoulder, Tukiko flinched away to the wall until her back was against it. She began to sob loudly, her knees drawing towards her chest. Juugo and Suigetsu were surprised at the action. Karin was wondering what she was crying about until Tukiko uttered a name mutiple times.

"No..D-Deidara...No...W-Why...?" More sobs wracked her entire being.

"Who's Deidara?" Suigetsu whispered over to Karin. She only shrugged. How would she know who this person was? He scowled at response and decided to try asking Tukiko. He crawled a bit closer to the crying girl. "Tukiko, who's Deidara?" he asked. Tukiko let out a hiccup, muttering something under her breath. "Eh? Can you say that louder?"

The three members of Team Hebi were frozen as Tukiko growled menacingly. The kind that signaled that she was beyond furious. "That bastard!" She snapped her head up to reveal her blood red eyes of the _Sharingan._ Her tears cascaded down her eyes and only added to her fury. Her red eyes were glaring at that of her sleeping twin brother. She shakily stood to her feet, using the wall as her support. Juugo, Karin, and Suigetsu were past surprise as the three tomoes in Tukiko's eyes began to swirl and melt into something that resemble a fuma shuriken. The hand that supported her to the wall clenched so tight, the wallpaper could have ripped off. "He killed Deidara..." she growled feriousiously. "_I'm going to kill him!!!!"_

Tukiko leaped towards Sasuke. She didn't get the chance to though. Juugo had seen that Tukiko was going to do that. He instantly grabbed her, his arms holding down her arms to her sides. Tukiko struggled against his hold, kicking and scratching at him.

"Let me go! Let me go! That bastard _needs_ to die!"

Karin and Suigetsu took awhile to react to what just happened. Tukiko had just tried to attack her own brother. Why would Tukiko do such a thing? Didn't she care about Sasuke, no matter how many times she said she hated him? What had happened?

"No, Tukiko. I won't let you hurt Sasuke," Juugo said to her. He was strong so there was no way that Tukiko could break from his hold. "What's wrong? Why would you want to hurt Sasuke?" He had seen the look in her eyes when she glared at Sasuke. It was full of hate and bloodlust. He recognized the hatred in her eyes from looking at Sasuke and the bloodlust from his own eyes. Tukiko didn't stop struggling. At the same time, she was sobbing her heart out.

"Because he killed the only person I ever loved and my fiance!"

At that statement, Tukiko gave up the struggle. Grief took over her system. Juugo, surprised at her response, let go Tukiko. She ran towards the open window and climbed up to the roof. She didn't care if anyone saw her. Once her feet landed on the slanted roof, Tukiko dropped down onto the tiles, curling into a fetal position. She started to cry her heart out, hugging her knees tightly. She was so heartbroken right now.

In books and novels that Tukiko had read, she read a few that involved romance. Of those few, the main characters in love would meet a terrible end, making their loved one heartbroken. They would be so depressed to the point of suicide. Of course, Tukiko had thought this was the stuff of fairytales. None of this could happen to her. But now, as she sat on the roof crying, she knew those stories were true. Her own heart was broken into two; one of which belonged to Deidara.

_It hurts! It hurts so much!_ Tukiko screamed inside her head. Pain overtook her heart, making her chest tighten. All she wanted to do at this point was scream in despair, not caring who heard her. Why, why did Deidara have to die!? Why did he have to use that technique just to kill Sasuke!? It hurt even more knowing that his death was in vain. Sasuke was still alive. Deidara died for nothing. How could this have happened? Deidara promised that he would never leave her. Before he died, he said that he wouldn't be in her future. Tukiko couldn't imagine her future without Deidara in it. All she could think about was _him_ being her future. After this whole Akatsuki business, they would get married. It would be a small wedding with only her closest friends being there. She would ask them to keep it a secret that Deidara was a former Akatsuki member. If they were her friends, they would see how much he made her happy and accept it. They would live together happily and start a family. The Uchiha estate would be filled with the sound of children with blond and black hair running around. The Uchiha blood would live on. Then when they were old, they would live together happily, not caring about anything else except each other...But now all of that was gone. Tukiko sobbed, her heart hurting even more at the thought of the future that would never be. _It's not fair...It's not fair...Why did you have to die?!_

More thoughts of her loved one filled her mind. Memories together flashed through her mind like old home movies. They were of the happiest times they had, including the day that Deidara proposed to her. All these memories of him made her heart crack even more. How could Deidara die trying to kill her twin?

Tukiko tensed up at the thought of Sasuke. Rage filled her to the core, her whole body shaking. The only reason Deidara was dead was because Sasuke drove him to the point of using his ultimate technique. If Sasuke and Deidara hadn't fought, Deidara would still be alive! Tukiko wanted to kill Sasuke then and there. She didn't care if he was still injured and her brother. It would be just like another assassination mission to her. All she would have to do was get a kunai and slit his throat in his sleep. It was as easy as that. Sasuke had caused so many things in her life to end disasterously. At first when she arrived back in Konoha, Tukiko thought that she and Sasuke could go back to their old relationship of being happy staying together. She was wrong. They could never go back to what was after Sasuke watched the clan die. All Sasuke cared about now was power to kill Itachi. Because of this desire, he left the village with the curse mark she gained to keep him safe. This, in turn, ending up almost killing her. A twin would never do that to their sibling. He would want his sibling to be happy. But Sasuke couldn't let Tukiko be happy anymore. He had killed the only happiness in her life.

_I want to kill Sasuke! I don't care if he is my twin! He deserves to die!_

A part of Tukiko told her that she shouldn't kill Sasuke. He may have killed her first love but that didn't mean he had to die for it. She could always find another love.

_No! I'll never have another love! Deidara will be the only one!_ Tukiko shrieked at the other part of her. She could never replace Deidara. He was too precious to her.

But you never know, her other said. You could always have another love.

_No, NO, NO!!!!_ _Shut up! I'll never have another love!_ Tukiko tried with all her might to shut out the other part of her. She suceeded but now she was conflicted. Was what the other told her true? Could she find another love? Deidara was just her first love. People could fall in love with others easily. That was the way life worked. She shook her head vigourously. _No, I'm not going to! I'll never love another the way I did Deidara!_

Tukiko continued to cry, but stopped when sensing another chakra heading up to the roof. Looking up over the edge, Tukiko was surprised when seeing red hair pop out. It was Karin.

Karin arrived at the top of the roof, pulling herself up. She caught sight of a pair of grey eyes staring blankly at her. She scowled at the red rimmed eyes and the red blotches on the young girl's pale face. Tukiko looked like a mess. Tukiko scowled herself, lifting a hand to wipe away her tears.

"What do you want?" Tukiko hoarsely asked. After crying so much made her throat dry.

"Look, I'm as happy as you are that I'm up here," Karin snapped back. She strided over to Tukiko with an arrogant air. She stood in front of her, putting her hands on her hips. She studied the girl and scoffed.

"Then why are you here?" Tukiko snapped back. She had no patience for Karin right now. All she wanted to do was be alone.

Karin sighed in annoyance. "I'm only up here because Juugo and Suigetsu got really worried about you." After Tukiko's outburst, they all were shocked. They had no idea that Tukiko's fiance was an Akatsuki member. This made Juugo and Suigetsu really worried. They figured out that Sasuke had just killed someone that Tukiko loved. By the way she reacted, this only made them even more worried. To find out more things about how Tukiko was at that moment, they forced Karin to go up after her. Karin didn't even want to do it but they made her. That was why she was so annoyed. Karin stepped next to Tukiko to stare out into the setting sun. "So that Akatsuki member Sasuke-kun killed was someone you knew, huh?" she casually started.

Tukiko shot a glare up at Karin. "What does it matter to you? You don't even like me."

"I'm getting information for the two idiots down in the room! They're squawking like mother hens down there, worrying about you."

"Then they can come to me instead if you don't want to do this." Tukiko sighed in frustration and annoyance, burying her head back in her arms. "Just leave me alone, Karin. Just tell Juugo and Suigetsu not to bother me either. I-I just don't want to talk about anything right now."

Karin glanced down at Tukiko, seeing how heartbroken she was. She frowned. As much as she hated the Uchiha girl, Karin couldn't help but pity her. She had lost someone she loved so much and by the hands of her own brother. This must have been taking a hard impact on her right now. Karin saw that Tukiko wouldn't speak anymore and sighed. She walked back to the edge to go down to the room. She would have to lie to them that Tukiko was fine. Just before she left, she looked over her shoulder to Tukiko and said, "And here I thought you were a kunoichi. No kunoichi would cry over someone's death like this. Even if they were very close to you." Then she dropped down and disappeared, leaving Tukiko to herself.

Tukiko lifted up her head and glared at the spot where Karin used to stand. Tears fell down her eyes in gentle falls. She scowled.

_What would Karin know? She hadn't lost anyone close to her before! She hasn't lost someone important to her! What could she possibly know how I'm feeling right now?!_

Tukiko sobbed, burying her head in her lap. No one could understand what she was feeling right now. Not even her brother.

As the day changed into night, Tukiko refused to move from her spot. She sat on the roof, continuing to cry. After Karin, no one dared to bother her anymore. She didn't mind. She wanted to be alone. The time passed too quickly yet slowly at the same time. The time was spent mourning over her loved ones death. She remembered everybit of what their time was together. She wanted to remember every single memory. Tukiko was afraid that if she didn't remember Deidara, the memory of him would disappear as quick as his death. She clinged to those memories desperately to have him near her. They were all she had left of him.

Dawn soon approached her. The whole night, Tukiko had spent her time crying. She wanted to sleep so badly but couldn't. Her energy was gone but sleep refused to come to her. All Tukiko wanted to do right now was fall asleep and never wake up. Maybe then she could be with her fiance in her dreams. Tukiko closed her eyes, ready to sleep. A cry of a bird made her eyes snap open.

Tukiko sapped her head up, looking around the darkness for the source of it. To her surprise, it was a raven sitting at her feet. The raven stared up at her with black beady eyes. Tukiko stared back. Why exactly was there a raven at her feet? The raven cawed again, lifting up its leg. Tukiko tilted her head to see something white. Looking closer, it turned out to be a rolled up piece of paper. Confused, Tukiko turned back to staring at the bird. The bird cawed again, jumping up onto her knees for her to get the letter. Getting what the raven was saying, Tukiko lifted a hand to untie the peice of paper. She unrolled it, the raven watching all of her movements. To her surprise, there was writing that was of her older brother, Itachi.

_Imouto,_

_Please come to the nearest Uchiha hideout. It is the one that rests at the top of a mountain. It isn't hard to miss. I wish to speak to you immidiately._

_I'll be waiting for your arrival,_

_love,_

_Aniki_

Tukiko tilted her head. Itachi sent her this bird for her? And why now of all times? She sighed, nodding to the raven. The raven cawed one last time before disappating into a black mist. The raven was actually one of Itachi's illusions. They could also act as messengers. Tukiko balled up the piece of paper before standing to her feet.

_Better get over there now._ _I don't know if I can stay near Sasuke any more. Not if I want to kill him._

Tukiko was already upset with her twin as it was. She did not want to be near him anymore unless he wished to die an early death. She also wasn't going to tell him that she was leaving. He would just get upset at her then follow her to bring her back. She snorted at that thought. How ironic that it was going to be _him_ going after _her_ for leaving without some sort of goodbye. It was a twin thing, obviously. Tukiko wiped away any leftover tears, staring at the rising sun. She sighed longingly. She and Deidara used to watch the sun rise when they trained before the dawn. If only those days could come back...

With a heavy sigh and a glance towards the room that Team Hebi was staying in, Tukiko closed her eyes. Her hands came together in a seal as she disappeared in black flower petals. The petals floated away, gone with the wind.

---

Sorry, Sorry! I haven't updated this week until now. Stupid school started back up again and all the teachers at my school decided to torture the students and give a crap load full of homework. Not to mention I've fallen asleep after I get home at four so I barely finish my homework in time and no time to even update. But now I do since it's Friday. Whoopee!

Sorry, feeling lazy to say much. Please review! Oh, and for those of you who read Confused Gender, please excuse my tardiness for it. I don't have enough chapters for it yet and I prefer to keep my notebook chapters and my updated chapters seperated. May take awhile to even write the latest one. That's it so again, I apologize.


	16. Bittersweet gift

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own all of the depressing parts to come.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 16

Tukiko ran through the forest non-stop since that morning. She felt all of her limbs tire eventually from not gaining enough sleep. She didn't care. All she cared about was getting there on time. She could only wonder what Itachi wanted to talk to her about. It had to be important if he wanted to speak to her immidiately. She also hoped it would be short. She just wanted to gome back home to Konoha and sleep for days on end, never to wake up. (A/N: That means she's feeling a bit depressed and a tad suicidal)

Tukiko neared the Uchiha hideout. She was already at the foot of it. Once she broke through the forest to get to the massive mountain, she was greeted at the sight of-

"Kisame!" Tukiko exclaimed, seeing her brother's partner standing there.

Kisame turned around and grinned at her. "Hey, Tukiko. It's been awhile since I've seen you, gaki. I heard that your voice was back but didn't think it was true."

"Yeah. I've been speaking for some time now." Tukiko tried to sound as peppy as she usually did around Kisame. It was a habit for the two to tease each other as much as they could. It began when Kisame found out that before Tukiko knew his name, she called him "Shark guy." To retailate, he started to call her "Boyish girl." Tukiko got mad and started to call him names and he did the same. That led to this endless teasing. But the teasing voice in her had entirely disappeared. She was no mood for the teasing.

Kisame noticed that she was only speaking to him half heartedly. He knew the reason why. He stopped grinning, his mouth curling down. "You're still upset...about Deidara, huh?" he said, staring at the ground. "Sorry about him dying. Heard that you guys were engaged too. From Itachi."

At the mention of Deidara, Tukiko almost started crying again. So Kisame knew about her engagement. It swallowed down the tears that threatened to fall and closed her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it, Kisame. Just...Just tell me where Aniki is."

"Already in the hideout."

"Right. Thanks." Tukiko nodded at him before sprinting towards the hideout. Her feet hopped up the stair-like mountain to get the hideout at the top. She didn't care if her chakra was as low as it was, her scar burning. She needed to see her brother. She reached the top of the mountain, landing softly in front of the building in front of her. She stared up at the Uchiha crest just above the entrance. She had visited this particular hideout once when she was traveling. There was a huge storm going on and Tukiko had taken refuuge here. That was a bad choice as the hideout was at a high enough point for the lightning to strike. She remembered how she cowered at the thunder, hiding behind a throne to shut it all out.

Tukiko approached the entrance, lingering at the doorway and noticed a bloody handprint on the wall near the door. She walked over to the hand print, and knelt down to examine it. The handprint was small like a child's. It was her handprint when she arrived here. She had cut her hand and when it started to rain, she had to hold onto the wall to not slip. That imprint was left here. The blood had turned black after sometime. She lifted up her own hand, placing it on top of the handprint. Of course, her hand was bigger in comparison now than before. She let a rueful smile slip to her lips.

_I was just a child back then. I knew nothing about the adult world yet knew everything about it. Now I'm almost a woman and yet I still know nothing yet everything about adult world. I guess...I'm still a child._

Tukiko wanted to do something. She grabbed out a kunai she had and cut the very palm of her hand. The red liquid slipped through the cut, gathering into a pool. Then she curled her fist and uncurled it for the blood to be all over her hand. Then she pressed her hand to the wall beside her small handprint. Removing the hand, there was now a larger bloody handprint beside the child like one. Long slender fingers were compared to that of short stubby ones. A large comparison yet none at all. They belonged to the same person.

Tukiko wrapped up her bloodied hand in bandages before walking into the hideout. The hideout was one large room with stone grey walls with the Uchiha crest plastered here and there in regal. What once might have been a mighty place was now desolate. The walls were cracked at the edges, parts of the ceiling had fallen to the ground, and rubble littered the floor. The only thing that was still in tact was the throne near the back wall where a symbol for the word "Fox" appeared in black. At the throne sat her older brother, Itachi. He was sitting there in a relaxed position with one arm propped up on the armrests, another was taken out of its sleeve and held under the hand of the first. His eyes were closed, but when Tukiko entered, they slowed opened to reveal the three tomoes of his Sharingan.

Itachi stood to his feet at the sight of his younger sister, slipping his arm back into his sleeve. As cold as he might be, he took on a caring one at his youngest sibling. "Imouto..."

"Aniki..." Tukiko moved in the blink of the eye. One moment, she was standing at the entrance of the hideout and in another, was hugging Itachi tightly. She began to sob, letting any tears she held back with Kisame out, and buried her face into Itachi's cloak. "Aniki...D-Deidara...S-Sasuke....He-He...!" She sobbed harder.

Itachi hugged Tukiko tightly, comforting her in her time of need. His only sister was crying her broken heart out at the death of someone she loved. He knew what that felt like. He lost many loved ones in the past and it was his doing that did it. Now Tukiko was going through that pain yet again. Itachi wished that he could do more for her. She had loved Deidara far too much that led to this: a young woman whose heart was broken and would break even more in the coming times. The only reason why Itachi even gave his blessing to let Deidara and Tukiko marry was because it would make Tukiko happy. Tukiko had seen too much pain and predjudices against her. Not once in her life was she allowed to do anything that made her happy. If this engagement was going to make her happy then he could live with it. That happiness was gone now, replaced by sadness and sorrow (A/N: Sorry, couldn't help it. This is sad, okay!? This is depressing!). And it was all because of what their other brother had done.

"Imouto, I'm so sorry," Itachi confessed, feeling guilty. His sister's unhappiness was his fault as well. If he hadn't started the chain of events that he did, Tukiko would be happy. She wouldn't be crying to him over her dead fiancé. She would be with him right now, enjoying the love they had. But Itachi had to do that. It was for what was to come later in the future. One he wouldn't be able to witness. He held her tighter to the point of leaving her breathless, closing his eyes. "Imouto, I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." he repeatedly said.

"A-Aniki, I-I don't know what t-to do a-anymore!" Tukiko cried into the cloack, staining the matieral. She shook her head. "I-I w-want to kill S-Sasuke for k-killing D-D-Deidara...but I ca-can't! H-He's my twin! My f-flesh and blood! I-I can't kill him! I-It's not fair! H-He did s-s-so many h-horrible things that e-effected me...but I-I can't...I just can't..." She sobbed even more, doing the crying that had lasted throughout her whole lifetime. From when she cried over insignifgant things, when she left Deidara back in Iwa...when Sasuke left the village...All of her tears came pouring out in this single time. She just didn't know what to do anymore.

"I know. I'm sorry." Itachi himself felt near tears as well. It was so hard to see his sister crying so much over her twin like this. He knew how much Sasuke was causing Tukiko pain. He held in the tears as his eyes slowly closed, slackening his hug from Tukiko. "We meet again...Sasuke."

Tukiko tensed up, turning around. Her tearfilled eyes widened when seeing Sasuke standing at the entrance, his Sharingan glare sent straight at Itachi. He almost growled at how Tukiko was crying and was in Itachi's hold. "Let go of her, you bastard!" he ordered harshly.

Tukiko glanced at Sasuke and Itachi, entirely surprised and confused. She knew that Sasuke would come looking for her, but this fast? Something was up. She stared up at Itachi's face, no expressions shown. "A-Aniki? W-What's going on?" she whispered loud enough for him to hear.

Itachi did not say anything.

She started to feel alert, dread filling her the same way it did when Deidara died. This was like that whenever someone she knew was about to die. She never ignored this feeling. Now, to have it appear only meant...Tukiko gasped.

"NO!" She screamed. She gripped Itachi's cloak tightly, shaking him. "I can't-I don't believe you! I-I don't want you to!"

"Hn."

Tukiko felt red hot anger boil inside her, making her Sharingan activate then turn into the Mangykyou. She knew it. She just knew this was going to happen. She didn't realize when but she knew this was going to happen. Ever since reading Itachi's letters when she was thirteen, she had always known. But for it to actually happen...Tears both angry and sad flowed nonstop down her red cheeks. No! She couldn't lose someone so important to her again! She already lost Deidara. The whole reason she and Deidara had found each other again was because he went with Itachi to go to Konoha. If it weren't for her older brother, she and Deidara would have never seen each other again.

Tukiko loved Itachi just as much as she loved/hated Sasuke. She couldn't let the two fight to the death. Both of them were important to her. She didn't want to pick sides. Why couldn't her brothers just stop all of this hate and anger and get over it? Why couldnt' they just get along? Tukiko felt that none of this should be happening. Why couldn't Itachi just tell Sasuke the truth? A new thought popped into Tukiko's head. This made her act. She was not going to lose anyone anymore. This was going to stop _now._

With a determined look on her face, Tukiko let go of Itachi and backed away from him. She glared at him with her Sharingan eyes, hissing,

"I'm sick and tired of all of this. I'm sick of living with horrible truth that you fucking won't tell your own little brother! How could you live with yourself knowing that you told your little _sister_ the truth and yet not your brother! I"m telling Sasuke the truth! This has got to stop now!"

Itachi's eyes snapped open to glare at her. "You do that and I will kill you," he threatened coldly. He didn't want to threaten Tukiko but if she ruined his plans, he would.

Tukiko let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, sure. Kill me if you want. But Sasuke deserves to know the truth!"

"What truth? What are you two talking about?" Sasuke demanded from them. They were speaking utter nonsense to him right now. What did his twin sister know that he himself did not? was what Sasuke wondered.

Tukiko turned to Sasuke with fire in her eyes. She was determined to save what was left of their family. "Sasuke, whatever Aniki has told you is all a lie," she said to him. "Don't believe what he said to you when he massacred the family. Don't believe any of it. Aniki didn't mean to kill our whole entire family. He was actually ordered to by-" She was cut off as a gasp replaced her words. She felt something-or someone-hit the back of her neck hard. She felt her whole vision slip out of focus and her body met the ground.

"Tukiko! Don't you ever dare touch her!" Sasuke roared in rage. Itachi had come up behind Tukiko and karate chopped the back of her neck.

"Hn. Still rash as ever," Itachi commented, staring coldly at his younger brother. He glanced at Tukiko through the corners of his eyes, silently apologizing to her. She couldn't tell Sasuke. Never. He couldn't learn about that until he was ready. That wouldn't be until years after he was dead.

Tukiko felt her eyelids getting heavy, her eyes staring at Itachi and Sasuke's feet. Words came out of her lips in whispers.

"Aniki...Sasuke..."

Then she slipped into the darkness that she hated more than anything.

---

_Tukiko ran through a dark forest as the rain slapped against her face. It was still light out so she could see where she was going. Every now and then, her foot would slip from the muddy ground but she regained her balance. She couldn't stop. Not when she had gotten away from Orochimaru. She didn't want to be stuck with him anymore. She wanted to be free._

_Just over an hour ago, Tukiko had managed to escape from Orochimaru's hideout. She had created a diversion to be able to get away from him. But half an hour ago, she was able to sense that a group of Sound ninjas were after her to bring her back._

I can't let Orochimaru have me! I'll never go home if I do!_ She wildly thought. She had spent a year under Orochimaru's control and wanted to be free again. If she was under Orochimaru's control any longer, she could never go back to Konoha. She would never get to see either of her brothers anymore._

_Tukiko broke out of the trees to enter a clearing. Upon entering the clearing, Tukiko had not been able to see the root sticking out of the ground. She ended up tripping on it and fell to the ground. Mud flew and began to stick to her clothes and hair. She groaned, struggling to stand up. All that did was make her slip on the mud and fall again, making her even more dirty. A growl left her lips. She didn't have time for this! She needed to get away before-_

_"There's that little brat!" A sound ninja yelled, seeing Tukiko sitting in the mud. Tukiko turned her head and cursed, trying to stand to her feet. No good. She was tired from using too much of her chakra running and now that stupid cursemark was sapping her chakra at the same time. The flame like markings had already covered half her body. She fell to her knees, unable to do anything._

This is it. I'll never be able to get home now._ Tukiko shut her eyes, ready to accept her fate. She felt the chakra near her getting were almost near her when suddenly another burst of chakra came out of nowhere. Screams filled the air at the burst of chakra. Then...nothing. The last thing that was heard was the sound of bodies hitting the ground. Tukiko was confused. _Wha...?

_Tukiko opened her eyes to see that the group of Sound ninjas that were after her were lying on the ground, lifeless. She gasped. How could they have died so easily? Then she noticed the figure standing near their lifeless bodies. It was a man by what she could tell. He was wearing some strange black cloak with a red cloud pattern splayed upon it. On his head was a hat with a small bell that rang when he moved. The high collar and the hat made it hard for Tukiko to tell who this person was. The man turned to face her and she was only able to see the swirling red eyes that she knew so well. She tensed up at the sight of the Sharingan._

_"W-Who are you?! W-Why do you have the Sharingan?!" Tukiko demanded. Only her family could have that dojutsu. Just who was this guy? She was surprised when the man said a name that was familiar to her anywhere._

_"Sasuke...?"_

_Tukiko's eyes went wide. That name was her twin brother's name. How could this man know that name? Unless he was a part of their family..._

_"I'm not Sasuke," she hesitantly said. "Are you from my family?"_

_The man strided over to her and looked down at her, studying her. Now that the man was up close, Tukiko stared up at the man's face. She could tell there were some scars or something on his face. Her eyes widened at the same time that the man did. The man knelt down to her height, taking off his hat in the process. The hat gone, she could see the long black hair that was tied in a low ponytail. She knew who this man was._

_"Tukiko-imouto...?" The man hesitantly said. Tukiko gasped at the sound of her old nickname that her older brother used for her._

_"Aniki?" She exclaimed. Tears filled her eyes at the sight of her older brother. "Aniki!"_

_Tukiko used what was left of her strength to hug her brother. She was so happy! It had been four years since she last saw him. Itachi, who was surprised at the sight of his younger sister, finally noticed that Tukiko was hugging him. He hugged her tightly. He had missed her as well. And for the first time in a _long_ time, Itachi actually let himself let a few tears slip through his eyelids. He had missed her dearly._

_It took some time for the two to stop crying. Itachi pulled away, holding Tukikio at an arm's length. He let a small smile appear on his face._

_"Imouto, what are you doing here? Do you realize that you're in Tea country?" Itachi began to inspect his younger sister. She still looked exactly like Sasuke, her short hair still sticking up in the back. What he noticed with shock were the black flame-like markings on her face and body. He then became concerned. "What happened to you? Where did you get those markings?"_

_"O-Orochimaru m-marked me last year and kept me for a year," Tukiko replied, wiping away her tears. "I-I ran away from him today but this curse mark is going to kill me soon."_

_"Orochimaru? You've met him?"_

_She nodded. "He just came out of nowhere and saw that I was an Uchiha. Then he bit me and dragged me to one of his hideouts. He-He said he was going to take my body!" She started crying again. She was so lucky to have escaped before Orochimaru had even tried to transfer his soul into her body. If she stayed any longer and grew more powerful, she was sure she would be only a host body. "T-Then he made me train with him and forced me to learn techniques I didn't even want to use! He even made me use up all my chakra just so he could see the curse mark try to control my body!"_

_Itachi studied the marks even closer. He could see that the markings were slowly moving across her body. He frowned. How dare Orochimaru go after his sibling just because he didn't get him? No one should ever mess with his siblings. He would kill whoever hurt his siblings. But first he had to do something about that curse mark on Tukiko's body. It was the only way she could truly be free from Orochimaru._

_"Imouto, do you want that mark off of your body forever?" he offered._

_"Can you do that!?" Tukiko exclaimed. She wanted this mark off of her body! She couldn't focus her chakra because of it. She needed to master more jutsus that she wanted to learn, but couldn't if the curse mark sapped her chakra. "Can you do that, Aniki? Orochimaru made the seal so that I had to die before I could be released from it."_

_"Hm...Dying, you say?" Itachi pondered, staring at a patch of brown grass just past Tukiko. Tukiko tried to get the mud off of her clothes. All of the mud was going to be stuck on her for days. She wiped her hair of the mud when Itachi said, "Imouto, I have a way to get that mark off of you. But it requires...drastic measures."_

_"How drastic?" Tukiko asked, tilting her head. A grave face fell onto Itachi's expression, making Tukiko shiver._

_"To the point of death drastic."_

_She tensed at the word 'death.' Was what he was going to do that serious to the point of death?_

_"Wh-What are you going to do?"_

_"Do not worry. It may hurt, but you will not die. I promise," Itachi reassured her. He was not sure if he should even suggest this way to use on his little sister. But he wanted her to be free from this curse. He frowned at one of the side effects that would occur if he were to do what he was about to do. "But if I remove the curse mark on you, you will not be able to remember what had happened in the past year, nor will you remember meeting me."_

_"Eh?! But Aniki! I just found you." Tukiko began to cry again. "I-I don't want to forget I met you again. What are Mother and Father going to think if they found out that you found me but made me forget?" She was confused when Itachi looked away from her at the mention of their parents. "Aniki? Is something wrong?"_

_Itachi shook his head. It was best that he didn't mention what had happened since she had left their home._

_"It's nothing, Imouto. Are you prepared for what I am about to do?"_

_Tukiko hesitantly nodded. She might as well as get this over with. Any longer and she could die. This thing _could_ kill her but that was a risk she was about to take._

_"All right." Itachi closed his eyes, confusing Tukiko. She was about to ask what he was doing when he slowly opened his eyes to reveal a Sharingan that resembled a shuriken. Itachi uttered one name as her whole body froze up. "Mangykyou Sharingan: Tsukuyomi..."_

_She lost consiousness but was aware of all the pain that spread throughout her body. It hurt...Tukiko felt like screaming. It hurt! It more than anything Orochimaru ever used on her! She started to hear voices in her head._

_"Orochimaru, leave my sister alone."_

_"Never, Itachi-kun! Tukiko has more capabilites than you could ever have! Once I take over her body, I will have the Sharingan in my posession and take over Konoha!"_

_There was silence then a scream._

_"Hn. You are a fool. You will never obtain the Sharingan, nor will you be powerful enough. You are nothing but a weak snake hiding in the grass."_

_"NOOO!!!!!!! I will not lose! This isn't the last time you will see me, Itachi-kun..."_

_The voice faded away into the darkness, leaving Tukiko behind in pain. Her whole body went limp. Then her consiousness faded away. _

---

Something wet like water dripped down on Tukiko's face, making her awaken. She groaned lightly, slowly opening her eyes. She blinked repeatedly as raindrops plopped onto her face. Her body felt stiff as well like it was thrown around. Sitting up, she wiped any water away from her eyes and glanced around, only for her eyes to widen. All around her were rubble of a building. Looking at a piece of a wall, she saw that it was what used to be the Uchiha hideout by the Uchiha fan. She glanced down, her eyes widening even more to the point of popping out. Two bodies lay on the flat ground, both covered in blood and injuries. She gasped.

"Oh no...Sasuke...Aniki!"

Tukiko jumped up to her feet, running over to where the bodies were laying. She knelt between Sasuke and Itachi. She checked Sasuke's pulse first. His heart was beating regularly. Giving a sigh of relief, she turned to Itachi. Her breath was caught in her throat at the sight of him. He was in worse shape than Sasuke. His eyes were open, looking up at a daze and a film glaze on his eyes. There was also a silver hue around the dark pupil of his eyes. Tukiko quickly checked his pulse, leaning an ear down to his heart. She almost cried when hearing no heartbeat. He was dead! Itachi was...A sob let itself out. No...No...She closed her eyes, biting her lip. Now she's lost two people important to her. She almost let out another sob but stopped when hearing a heartbeat. Then a groan was heard. Tukiko reacted quickly by going through a series of handsigns then hovering her hands over Itachi's body. Her hands glowed green and seeped into Itachi's body. There was another groan and a cough. Itachi started to move but Tukiko made him stay still.

"Aniki, don't move. I'm going to try and heal you as best as I can. Then we'll head to a hospital to get you all better," Tukiko gently said. She was concentrating on her chakra to use to heal her brother. She was thanking all the gods that Tsunade had taught her how to use first-aid medical jutsu when she was teaching her way back then. She swallowed heavily, trying her best to smile. "You're going to be okay."

Tukiko made to put more of her chakra into the healing technique, but a hand stopped her. She glanced at Itachi's face, seeing that he was the one to stop her.

"Tukiko...it's...too late for me...Don't waste...your time..." Itachi coughed, blood spurting past his lips.

"Aniki, don't say that! You can-You're still alive!"

"No...Imouto...I...won't make it..."

"No! Shut up! Shut up!" Tukiko started to cry but it wasn't seen through all the rain. The only indication that she was crying were the sobs that left her. Her hands continued to glow green. She didn't want to believe it. Itachi couldn't die. He just couldn't! But she knew that all of that wasn't true. Just by checking his condition, she could tell that his body was already shutting down. "You're not going to die! You're not!"

"Imouto...you know I won't make it..." Itachi took a raspy breath, his voice grew shaky from the effort of being used. He raised a hand to Tukiko's face, his blood smearing her pale skin. Tukiko held the hand to her face, trying not to cry. "Promise...to take care of Sasuke...for me...And...take my eyes to use...for your own...Watch over...everyone with those eyes..."

She started to sob loudly, closing her eyes and shaking her head. No. This couldn't be happening. Her older brother was here dying and all he could tell her was to take care of Sasuke. She wanted to tell him he could take care of Sasuke himself because he was going to live. He could still use his eyes. But she couldn't. These were her brother's last moments alive. She had to abide by his wishes. "I-I promise, Aniki," she sobbed. "I promise. I'll take care of Sasuke. I promise." With a shaky hand, Tukiko reached into Itachi's pocket to pull out two small containers filled with a liquid. Opening both the containers, she set them on the ground next to her. Then with hesitant hands, she reached over to Itachi's eyes and plucked them right out of their sockets. When the eyes were gone, Itachi closed his eyelids, blood flowing down his cheeks as if crying. Tukiko cried at the sight of him. He looked so vunerable. This was the first time she had ever seen him like this. Just the sight of him on his death place was enough to make Tukiko's heart crack even more in her chest.

"Thank you...Imouto..." Itachi gave a genuine sad smile to his youngest sibling. The one he hoped could withstand anything that was going to happen to her. He really hoped so...The last of his strength was sapped out his body. The hand that was held to Tukiko's face became limp in her hands.

"No..." Tukiko cried even more, tears of sadness taking all of her emotions out of her. She was crying for everyone she knew that had died. She was crying for her mother and father...her family...her lover...her brother...Everyone. She was crying to the heavens themselves, silently cursing them for taking away everyone she had loved. Why did they all have to die? Why did they all have to leave? Why couldn't they have stayed? Tukiko shook her head. "It's not fair...It's not fair..."

Tukiko stayed like for a while, sitting in the rain in the prescence of her dead brother and her still alive twin brother. After all the tears were drained from her, she finally ran out of tears to cry. There was more sadness within her but no more to cry. Taking a shaky breath, Tukiko gently laid Itachi's lifeless hand to his heart. She stared blankly at Itachi's face, etching his last smile ever in her heart. Shaking her head, she leaned over to his forehead and kissed it, whispering, "Good bye...Itachi-nii-san."

With those last words, Tukiko picked up the two containers that contained her brother's eyes. She stood to her feet, ready to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Sasuke. A scowl appeared on her expression. She should help her twin brother. But why should she? He was the one to murder both her lover and their brother. He was the one to nearly kill her. If he caused her this much pain, why should she help him?

_Because he's your twin,_ a voice quietly said to her.

She sighed, ignoring the voice. She turned her back on Sasuke, making a handsign. She closed her eyes, thinking of Sasuke as she disappeared in black cherry blossoms.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke._

---

Dr. Makoto Fukiwara sighed as he finished any paperwork he had neglected to do. He sat in his office, rubbing his tired eyes. It had been a long week with many people coming to the hospital. It seemed that there was an flu epidemic going around town that made many sick. Of course, he examined each person and gave the right medicine to his patients. He turned in his chair, staring out into the pouring rain. He frowned at the cloudy grey skies.

_I don't like the look of those clouds._

The doctor knew that it shouldn't even be raining in the first place. Earlier, it was just a sunny blue sky. Now it was cold, rainy, and cloudy. This weather was nothing short of unusual. He chuckled at his thoughts.

_Why should I be concerning myself with the weather? I am but a simple doctor._

He kept chuckling as he was about to turn back to his work. He still had a few to go before he could head home to his warm home where his wife was probably waiting for him. All thoughts of going home in time were thrown out the window as something tapped on his window. It couldn't be the rain as it was just a light rain. So what could it possibly be...? Dr. Fukiwara turned his swivel chair around to be completely shocked.

Outside his window stood a young girl, between the ages of fifteen to seventeen. The young girl just stood there, her raven black hair clinging to her face and covering her eyes. Her red clothes clinged to her skin as the rain poured down on her. He gasped.

"Oh my!" The doctor leapt up in his chair, moving towards the window. He slid the window open. "Come in before you catch a cold out here!" he said to the girl. The girl slowly stepped towards the window, each step making a _splash_ sound under her feet. She entered through the window, dropping down to the carpet. Now that the girl was closer, Dr. Fukiwara examined the girl closer. He could see that the girl was wearing a dark blue choker with a charm that resembled an uchiwa fan that held rubies and diamonds. He could also see the katana that was strapped to her back and the white cloth on top of her head. The cloth captured his attention because it had a metal plate that had a symbol of something that resembled a leaf. The girl was a kunoichi from Konoha. The girl didn't say anything upon entering. She just stood there, water dripping down her clothes to the carpet.

"What can I help you with, miss?" Dr. Fukiwara asked the girl politely. If the girl was a kunoichi, she must have been hurt. But he saw no signs of injuries on the girl. The girl's lips moved but he couldn't hear what she said. "I'm sorry. Could you say that again?"

"Can you do eye implantions?" she asked a bit loudly.

The doctor was stunned. He blinked, processing the information in his head. "Yes. I've done a few," he answered slowly. As a doctor, he was required to learn about the eye should he perform surgery involving one. He was quite good at it actaully. The few eye transfers he had done all came out sucessfully. "Why? Do you need surgery on your eyes?"

The girl nodded.

"I need an eye transfers with these." She reached into the pouch strapped behind her to pull out two small containers. She handed them over to the doctor. Dr. Fukiwara took the containers and examined the eyes. He was surprised to see that the eyes had a silver hue around the dark pupil. He knew that a silver hue could mean that those eyes were blind. "I want the surgery to transfer them to me now."

"I'm sorry," he said with a sigh. "But I cannot use these eyes. They are blind. Perhaps another pair would be-"

"No! I want those eyes!" The girl growled menacingly. He jumped at her tone and shivered. The sound could make any person shiver for they held killer intent. The girl sighed, seeing that she frightened him. "I'm sorry. I just want those eyes. Not other eyes. Those."

Dr. Fukiwara sighed. He had to abide to the girl's wishes. Ever since he had become a doctor, he had promised himself he would not turn away anyone's wishes. Be it good or bad, he would work to the patient's wish. And this girl's wish was to have these blind eyes transferred to hers.

"All right. Follow me to the operating room."

The girl nodded, brushing her wet hair back. Now that her bangs were out of the way, he could see the warm grey eyes that bore at him. Within those eyes, however, he could see the pain and sadness that was clearly evident in her. He knew those eyes well. He once had them as a young child. He felt sympathetic towards the girl. He turned towards the door and walked out with the girl behind him.

About twenty minutes later, Dr. Fukiwara stood in the operating room with the girl laying on the metal table. Hooked up to her was a heart machine. A nurse stood next to the doctor, ready to help.

"We're about to begin," the doctor said to the girl. "Are you ready?"

The girl nodded. "I'm ready. But before I go under, could you not tell anyone that you performed this surgery on me?"

"But why?"

"I'm scared someone will do something drastic." The girl gave a weary smile. This shocked the doctor. Who would be after this sweet girl? She may have been a kunoichi but she seemed so innocent. He nodded nonetheless. She smiled. "Thank you."

"All right. We'll begin the procedure."

The nurse next to him went over to a tank that was labled 'anethesia.' She took a breathing mask and strapped it to the girl's face. She turned a handle to make the gas flow. The gas must have been taking effect for the girl slowly closed her eyes, breathing deeply and soundly. Once making sure the girl was out, Dr. Fukiwara began his work.

---

The procedure actually took three hours. By the time the doctor finished, it was already nightfall. Dr. Fukiwara wiped his forehead of sweat, watching a nurse check the girl's vitals as she rested in one of the hospital rooms. The girl lay on the bed, asleep. Bandages were wrapped around the girl's head where her eyes were. He smiled to himself. It had taken awhile but he was successful. Though, something bothered the doctor.

He knew that he had gotten the eyes into the girl and made sure everything was wired to where they were supposed to be. He couldn't help but feel, though, that there was something important behind those eyes. As he was putting them in, he could sense that the eyes he was putting in were special in some way. Like they held some type of hidden power that he himself did not know.

_I'm overthinking it._

He laughed to himself. How could eyes have hidden power behind them? They were just to use for sight. That was all. He was just tired from the operation was all.

There was a knock on the door and another nurse entered the room.

"Doctor? Two men are here to see you," she announced.

"Two men?" The doctor raised an eyebrow. Who could possibly want to see him at this hour? "Who are they?"

"I don't know. But both men are wearing the Konoha hitai-ate on them."

The doctor grew more confused. Konoha ninjas? What would they want with a simple man like him? He glanced over to the chair by the girl's bed. Her things were lying there, her Konoha hitai-ate lying on top of her red clothes. He wondered if these men had anything to do with this girl? It had to be something.

Dr. Fukiwara exited the hospital room and followed the nurse. The nurse led him to his private office. She opened the door and announced to the room, "Here is Dr. Fukiwara."

"Thank you," a male voice said from within. The doctor entered the room to first see two men. Both men wore a tan cloak but he could see the Konoha hitai-ates on their forehead. The doctor closed the door behind him and faced the two men.

"How may I help you, gentlemen?" he asked kindly.

One of the men, who had silver hair and wore a mask, said, "Yes. We're looking for a young girl by the name of Tukiko Uchiha. Have you seen her anywhere?"

"Tukiko...Uchiha?" The doctor shook his head. He didn't know anyone by that name, though the name 'Uchiha' was familiar. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know that name."

"Well, have you at least had a girl with raven black hair and a white Konoha hitai-ate check into your hospital?" the other man, who had spikey brown hair and brown eyes, asked in worry.

This time the doctor nodded. They _were_ asking about the girl he just performed surgery on. "Yes," he answered. "If you're talking about that girl, she did check in."

Both the men were surprised. They glanced at each other with hope in their eyes (or in the case of the man with the mask, eye).

"Show us," the white haired man ordered.

The doctor was not sure what the men wanted with the girl but obeyed. He led them to the girl's room not too far from his office. Once he showed them the room, the two men barged in. They froze at the sight of the girl on the bed. The man with brown hair rushed over to the girl's side, brushing her bangs away from where her eyes were. The white haired man turned to Dr. Fukiwara with a worried glance.

"What happened to her?"

"She...was brought in by someone who found her," the doctor lied. He was going to lie at the girl's wishes. She seemed so worried when she asked that of him. "She was in a terrible condition. Her eyes were bleeding and I had to do surgery on them to fix them as best as I could. Do you happen to know her?"

"Yes. She's a kunoichi of Konoha." The white haired man strided over to the girl's bedside. The doctor was surprised as he removed the wires connected to the girl, and picked her up bridle style.

"Wait! She's still healing!" the doctor objected, rushing over to stop him. But the doctor froze at the man's worried eye.

"Don't worry. We're taking her back to Konoha, where she could get better treatment." He glanced down at the small girl he held. His eye crinkled in worry. "Alot of people have been worried about her." Then he walked past the doctor and out the room.

The brown haired man picked up the girl's belongings off the chair then bowed to Dr. Fukiwara.

"Thank you for treating Tukiko-sama."

Then he followed his companion, leaving the doctor stunned. After a few minutes, he sighed.

"Ninjas. This is why I treat civilans more than ninjas."

---

Bleh, this chapter made me sad when I wrote it. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Moving on!

Ugh! Twins! I feel so bad for them like Sasuke and Tukiko. They can never find happiness if they tried. If you're confused as to why I'm talking about twins it's because I'm reading Tsuabasa Reservoir Chronicles where Fai's history is shown along with his twin brother, Yuui. But for those of you who know the truth, you know what I mean. I feel so bad for Yuui and Fai. They were born in a country where twins were a misfortune and being twin _princes_ makes it worse for them. I feel so bad for them. I love Fai! He's my favorite character in there! I wish he didn't have such a sad past. Now I'm starting to believe that twins are misfortunate in anime since in here, Tukiko and Sasuke are struck with misfortune wherever they go. I mean, Sasuke's an avenger and he can't be happy and because he's not happy, Tukiko isn't either since his actions reflect everything that's happened to her so far. Don't get me wrong and all! I love twins! I wanted a twin sister but that didn't happen. And I want twin kids when I'm older and married! It's just so sad for them in animes...

I'm all depressed now. Please review!


	17. A new discovery

Discliamer: I really don't own Naruto. Tukiko, though, I own with a sad heart for what I'm doing to her. I also don't own the songs being played in here.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 17

_It was a lazy summer day that day. Deiara arrived at the edge of the Uchiha compound. He had just finished a mission with Sasori no Danna and was allowed to go sneak off to visit Tukiko. Since Sasori now knew about the little romance that was going on between he and Tukiko, his master would always say not to make Tukiko wait for him. He did not quite get why Sasori would let him see Tukiko in the first place. He supposed it was to tease him in some sort of way._

_He walked to the main house where Tukiko lived. Opening the door, he stepped inside to take off his shoes when he heard it. Deidara set down his shoes and stepped onto the wood to hear a faint sound echo throughout the home. What surprised him was that it was a melody. The song drifted through the walls of the home, bringing its voice to the ears of whoever could hear it. Deidara found himself drifting into the home in search of the melody. He noted that the song seemed sad at the same time. As if it was mourning something._

_Deidara turned a corner to hear the music getting louder. That must have meant he was close. He walked down the hallway and turned to his right where a door lay. In there he could hear the melody the loudest. He raised his hand to the doorknob._

_The melody hit him full blast when the door opened. Deidara peeked into the room seeing that it was a parlor of some sort. In the room, by the window, lay a small piano and sitting on a bench and playing said piano was his thirteen year old girlfriend, Tukiko Uchiha. Her back was to him so that she could not see the door. From his position by the door, he could see that her fingers nimbly pressed the black and white teeth of the musical instrument. He did not want to disturb his girlfriend while she was playing so he leaned on the doorway to wait until she was done._

_He was mesmirized at the song that his beloved was playing. It was so sad yet so happy at the same time. It being played by someone he loved made it seem more sad though. The song was slow, whispering low and high notes at the same time. It was as if Tukiko was saying something through the music as her voice could not work._

_The song came to an end. Tukiko gave a silent sigh yet jumped at the voice that came into the room._

_"I didn't know that you could play the piano."_

_Turning around at the voice, Tukiko met the eyes of her boyfriend, Deidara. He was smiling, leaning at the doorway. He strided over to her in two steps then leaned down to peck her at the lips. She smiled at him. It had been awhile since she had last seen him._

_"_Yeah. I learned how to play when I was younger. Before I ran away, I mean,"_ Tukiko mouthed. She reached for the music sheet in front of her. She touched the notes on the pages delicately. Her eyes held sadness in them. "_My mom was actually the one to teach me. She also wrote the song that I just played."

_"Really?" Deidara leaned in to see the name of the song on the first page. " 'Gomenasai?' Your mother wrote this?" he asked in curiousity. _

_She nodded. Tukiko loved the songs that her mother wrote. To play this particular song made her remember that her mother never wanted her two youngest children to be ever seperated. But that happened. She let her mother down. But playing this song made her feel closer to her mother._

_Deidara's eye caught a notebook sitting on top of the piano. He reached for it and opened it to find more songs. Raising an eyebrow, he began to leaf through the songs. He skimmed through each song, none of them really catching his eye. Until he stopped at one that caught his eye. He blinked, then took out the song. He placed it on the music stand in front of Tukiko._

_"Can you play this one?" he asked._

_Tukiko stared at Deidara before taking a look at the song he chose. This made her raise an eyebrow. "_You know this song has lyrics, right?"_ she said._

_"I know. But can you play it?"_

_She shrugged. She could play it, she supposed. No harm was going to come out of this. Tukiko positioned her fingers on the first keys. Then she started to play. She was really surprised as Deidara started to sing._

**When I fall in love**

**It will be forever**

**Or I'll fall in love**

**In a restless world like this is**

**Love is ended before it's begun**

**And too many moonlight kisses**

**Seem to cool**

**In the warmth of the sun**

**When I give my heart**

**It will be completely**

**Or I'll never give**

**My heart**

**And the moment**

**I can feel that**

**You feel that way too**

**Is when I fall in love**

**When I fall in love**

**That's when I fall in love**

**With you**

_Tukiko ended the song. She then stared at Deidara who was staring at her. He grinned._

_"How was that?"_

_Tukiko blinked several times, not believing that he just sang. As long as she had known him, it was usually her that would sing. It was the other way around now._

_"_I didn't know you could sing. I'm usually the one to do that."

_He shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like it. Plus, you're not really in any position to sing, Little Ms. I-can't-sing-because-I'm-mute."_

_Tukiko stuck her tongue out at him, turning back to the piece. She stared at the title that read "When I fall in love." She blushed at the title, seeing as that Deidara just sang that to her. Was he trying to say something to her?_

_"_S-So w-why did you s-sing this song?" _She decided to ask with a slight stutter._

_Deidara himself blushed then shrugged._

_"Just felt like it, is all."_

_"_Oh._" Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. Tukiko had thought that the reason Deidara sang this song was because he was saying that he loved her. She thought that he was saying he would love her forever. But she guessed not. She glanced away from Deidara to hide her sadness and paid attention to getting another piece to play._

_What she didn't know was that Deidara was staring at her with such love and he meant what he sang. He would probably love no one other than her. If only she knew..._

---

Tukiko woke up to darkness and pain. She could see nothing but there was a dull pain behind her eyes. She groaned at the pain. It was so annoying. There were gasps around her when she made that sound. There was a heavy weight on the bed that was under her.

_Wait a second. Bed?_

She went though her memories to see what exactly happened to her. All memories of before came rushing back into her head. At the last memory, she sat up gasping. A hand on her shoulder gave a gentle push.

"Tukiko, please don't move. You're still recovering," the gentle voice of Sakura sounded through her ears.

"Sakura? Is that you? Where am I? Why can't I see?" Tukiko was starting to get scared. She couldn't see even if her eyes were open. And what was Sakura doing in the civilan hospital?

"You're in the Konoha hospital," the sound of Neji said. "Kakashi and Yamato found you in a hospital and brought you here."

"There was also something wrong with your eyes. It looks like you had surgery on them," Sakura said. Tukiko tensed. Did they know that she had her eyes removed and replaced? They couldn't know. "You should be able to see. Shishou and I fixed anything that might deteirote your vision. But I'm sure whether or not you can use the Sharingan...We'll just have to see."

Tukiko felt hands on her face that gently touched near her eyes. Then she felt the fingers pry off something that was in front of her eyes. By this time, she closed her eyes. The thing that was in front of her eyes was pried off layer by layer until there was a light through her eyelids. When the layers (which she guessed were actually layers of bandages) were gone, she could see light through her eyes.

"Okay, Tukiko. Can you open your eyes?" Sakura asked.

Tukiko gulped. She was afraid to open her eyes. What if that civilan doctor had messed up? She couldn't afford not to see. She was scared as it was. But she had faith in Sakura and Tsunade. If they fixed her eyes themselves, then she could trust them. With a deep breath, she slowly opened her eyes. She almost flinched back at the sudden attack of light, but she waited for her eyes to adjust. When her eyes were, she opened them fully. She blinked a few times until she could focus her eyes. They did and Tukiko could see Sakura sitting by her.

She saw that she was in a hospital room. One of the long term ones. Around the room sat Neji and Naruto. Sakura, Neji, and Naruto all held expressions of relief and shock. Tukiko looked down at her hands, almost like she was seeing them for the first time.

"Whoa...My eyes are still okay."

"Tukiko-chan, what's up with your eyes?" Naruto asked, pushing past Sakura and leaning in at her face. She had to back up, for he was in her personal space. She tilted her head at him.

"What do you mean?"

Sakura grabbed the hand mirror at her bedside and held it in front of her. Tukiko saw her face but was shocked. She was staring at her eyes. There was no sign of any scars from the surgery. She had to admit that civilan doctor knew what he was doing. But that wasn't what shocked her. It was the fact that there was a reddish-silvery hue around her dark pupil. It looked as if she was blind. The thing was, she could see perfectly.

"Is she blind?" Neji asked in concern.

"No, I'm positive she can see." Sakura held up two fingers. "Tukiko-chan, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Tukiko stared at Sakura blankly as if she were stupid.

"Two," she stated bluntly. "And Neji, stop wearing that expression. You know I hate it when you do that." She was talking about the worried expression on his face. Whenever he was worried about her he always frowned with a weird crease on his forehead.

Sakura smiled. "Nope. She's fine. I think that red and silver hue around her eyes is just a side effect of the accident she got into. She must have been using her Sharingan at that time as well. It will always be like that now."

"Ne, Tukiko-chan. What happened to you anyway?" Naruto asked.

Tukiko shrugged like it was nothing.

"I don't know. I was fighting some ninjas. I think one of them used a poison in my eyes that made me like that. I remember burning and that was about it before I fainted. That's about it."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense," Sakura said. "The doctor you first saw must have removed all the poison before working on your eyes. The poison must have affected the color of your eyes."

"So will I be able to use my Sharingan again?"

"I'm not sure."

Tukiko sighed. She couldn't understand why Itachi wanted her to use his eyes. If she had them on, who knew if she could use her Sharingan anymore. She was fine with that but still. She worked so hard for them. Just what was Itachi thinking?

The name jolted her to her core. She was starting to remember the last time she ever got to see her brother alive. At the very memory, it made tears prick her eyes and fall. She closed her eyes, starting to sob and cry. She didn't care that she was crying in front of her friends. She had just lost her older brother. The only one who understood her after Sasuke left. There were horrorfied gasps as she continued to cry. Hands pried Tukiko's hands from her face.

"Tukiko, open your eyes!" Sakura ordered harshly.

Tukiko opened her eyes, still crying. Sakura was gaping at her, a hand to her mouth. She didn't understand why Sakura was like that until she noticed something strange. Through the corners of her eyes she saw something red on her hands. She brought her hands closer to her face, sniffling. She gasped to see that there was blood on her hands.

"Sakura, I thought you said she was fine!" Neji accused, looking at Tukiko.

"She is! I don't know why she's bleeding!" Sakura frantically said.

Tukiko sniffled, wiping away any tears she could have cried. When she retracted her hands, however, she saw that they were red. She blinked in confusion. Then something clicked in her head.

"Guys, I'm not bleeding." Sakura, Naruto, and Neji stared at her with bewildered expressions. They saw that she was wiping her eyes with a hand. When her face was free of the blood, they were suprised when she started bleeding from her eyes again. Tukiko sniffled. "I'm-I'm crying red tears."

"You're...crying?" Naruto hesitantly asked. This was something he had never heard of before. No one could cry red tears. Could they?

Tukiko nodded, stopping her tears again. She wiped them away again to show that she really wasn't bleeding. "See? I'm crying. Not bleeding."

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh. "I swear. Tukiko is probably the only person I know who's body can look so weird and yet she turns out just fine."

"It's Tukiko-chan. What do you expect?" Naruto gave a little laugh, thought half-heartedly. Tukiko wondered why he sounded like that. She would have to ask later.

A little later, Sakura had told Neji and Naruto that Tukiko needed to rest her eyes. She was still recovering although she had been asleep for two weeks. Tukiko was surprised at how long she was out. Sakura checked her eyes once again before recording the results on a clipboard and herded Neji and Naruto out of the room, leaving Tukiko to herself.

Tukiko sat on the bed, her knees drawn to her chest in the fetal position. She laid her head on her arms, staring at the white hospital sheets. She was thinking about what had happened.

Recently, so many things had happened. Many horrible things. She had lost her lover...She had lost her brother. Two of her most precious people were gone now. And it was all because of her twin brother. Now that they were dead, she couldn't help but blame herself. She shouldn't have listened to Itachi. She should have just told Sasuke everything before. If she had told him, Sasuke might have not killed Deidara nor Itachi. If she had told them, they would be with her right now, alive and well. But she didn't tell them. Because of her mistake, they were gone. Never to come back.

_It's all my fault. Deidara...Aniki...I'm sorry..._

Tukiko hid her face in her arms, the corners of her eyes leaking a crimson red and slid down to the sheets, staining the white surface.

---

Okay, depressing chapter. Just to clear up somethings here. The reason Tukiko has a silver hue on her eyes is because Itachi's eyes were blind to start with. When she took them and put them in hers, I guess her blood recognized that those were Uchiha eyes and made them turn into the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, like Madara did. So those eyes have recovered their eyesight though kept the hue. And the reason that she cries red tears now is because I put in a little side effect to having the Mangekyou Sharingan. If a Sharingan weilder gains those eyes by taking them from a sibling, the eyes will make the tearducts around them cry red tears to signal that those eyes were taken at a great price. Though, I just put that in there. Madara could cry red tears too but he hasn't cried since taking his brother's eyes (in my story, anyway). Oh, and if all of you are wondering where Tukiko's original eyes went, she still has them. For safekeeping of course.

And also, someone asked me if Itachi gave Tukiko his eyes, did that mean Sasuke didn't get the Magekyou Sharingan? Actually, this is going to get really complicated so I'll explain to the best of my ability. Itachi _did_ give Sasuke most of his Magekyou powers. However, he saved a small portion of it to give to Tukiko. That small portion wouldn't have mattered on it's own but since Tukiko had the Mangekyou Sharingan, the power still triggered itself enough to let Tukiko have the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. That power allowed her to never go blind if using the Mangekyou Sharingan (like Sasuke will if he continues to use his). Any Sharingan powers Tukiko uses later on will be of her own power. That sounds stupid, but bear with me.

Oh, and here's a little fun fact: The song I made Deidara sing in here is actually a choral song that my vocal class is singing. I thought it sounded romantic so I put that in there. Pretty neat, huh? It's the sweetest song I've ever heard.

Anyway, that's it for this week. See you guys in two weeks!


	18. Attack on Konoha

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

A week after Tukiko had awakened in the hospital, she was finally released. She was glad for this as Tsunade and Shizune had done many tests on her eyes to see the reason why they acted the way they did. It was practically impossible for someone to cry red tears like Tukiko has. There were so many tests done on Tukiko's eyes that she finally had enough and said her eyes were just weird and told them to leave her alone. Tsunade was not offended at the girl's cranky mood. She knew the girl hated the hospital. So she gave the okay to let Tukiko out, deeming her fit to go out on missions again.

To that, Tukiko was extremely grateful. She needed these missions. She had been extremely depressed over Deidara and Itachi's deaths that she felt like taking on harder missions like when she was in the ANBU. So after a day of another rest, Tukiko went to Tsunade and requested to take on harder missions. Tsunade was hesitant to let her do so at first. Her eyes still needed the rest. With these missions, Tukiko might end up slipping because of her vision. Tukiko persisted on it until Tsunade finally gave in and let her do hard missions.

For two whole weeks, Tukiko continually went on high ranked missions. One right after the other. She would take a mission and would finish it quickly before returning to the village and doing yet another one. The missions were exhausting on her body but she did not mind. She felt that this was a way to escape the depression that was plaguing her, if only for awhile. Although while on her missions, she refused to use her Sharingan. She found out that she could still use the Sharingan when she was alone. That was a huge relief. Although she felt that the missions were exhausting on her body. She noticed it a week into the missions. In the morning, she found herself waking up only to feel nasuous and vomited her stomach contents into the bushes. Plus, her chakra felt as if it had been cut in half, as she soon realized when using a fire jutsu against an enemy. She grew tired and tired each time, no matter how much she slept or ate. It was strange to say the least. She kept her sickness quiet, as she thought it was just the flu or something. She could rough it out.

What Tukiko didn't know that it was worrying her friends to the point of speaking to her.

Tukiko stumbled through the village gates one day after an S-ranked mission to kill a missing ninja. She waved at Kotetsu and Izumo before heading off towards the Hokage tower. Along the way, she spotted Sakura and Shikamaru. She picked up her pace to avoid seeing them. If they saw her, she was dead.

"Tukiko!"

Too late.

Tukiko gave a silent groan before turning to the approaching two. She tried to smile. It hurt to do so. "Hey, Sakura. Shikamaru. How are you two?"

"Don't give me that 'how are you' crap, Tukiko Uchiha!" Sakura scowled at her, putting her hands on her hips. "You need to stop taking these missions. You're going to kill yourself one day, regardless of being killed on a mission or just from exhaustion."

"Sakura-chan, I'm fine. You're just being a worried wart," Tukiko calmly told them. Her body was tired, yet she didn't want it to show. Too bad it did.

"No, you're not fine, Tukiko," Shikamaru accused her. "You're hurting yourself by going on these missions. We know why your'e doing these missions."

"Really? Do you?" Tukiko challenged, glaring at them.

Sakura's eyes became soft. She hung her head, staring at the ground.

"You're trying to escape the pain you feel over something." Tukiko tensed at her words. They didn't know, did they? "We don't know what the pain is but you are trying to escape it."

Tukiko said nothing for awhile. It was true. The only reason she was taking these missions were to lose herself in them to escape the incredible pain in her heart. Her brother and fiancé's deaths hit her hard. She couldn't take the pain anymore so she took these missions. She couldn't bare the pain anymore. On the missions, she would never think once about them. Only the mission. Shikamaru took her silence as the truth, which it was.

"You should stop taking these missions. Do you realize how much everyone is worried about you? Even Naruto is worried to death, although he's gone to train again. He's worried even when he's saddened by Jiraiya's death."

"Naruto...is?" Tukiko quietly asked. She was surprised by this fact. Naruto was worried about her even when he was sad. She recently learned that Jiraiya had died during a mission to find out who the Akatsuki leader was. She was sad as well when learning. Jiraiya was the person to find her during her travels after she had run away from Orochimaru. He found her in a clearing and saw she was near death. He was by Tsunade at that time so he picked her up and brought her to the medic. When Tukiko woke up, she was eternally grateful to the man and then begged Tsunade to train her. But Naruto had trained with Jiraiya. The man was like a father to him. To hear that Naruto was worried about her even when he was depressed...It made her feel guilty. But that wasn't going to stop her from going on more missions. "Sorry, Shika. Sakura. I'm not going to stop."

Tukiko turned on her heel to head to the Hokage tower when all of a sudden there was a huge explosion near by. Shikamaru, Sakura, and Tukiko froze as a building suddenly collasped and a huge dog appeared. The dog growled and attacked the buildins. Screams filled the air. Civilains started to run to safety and the three ninjas went into action.

"Get the civilians to safety!" Tukiko ordered Sakura and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru and Sakura knew that they had to obey Tukiko's orders. She was the jounin between the three of them so they had to obey their higher up's commands.

The three seperated, going off to go help any civilians to safety. Tukiko directed each civilan to go off to the safe houses while defending them from any danger. All the while, she saw that many ninjas were helping and defending the villagers. They had to defend their home from whatever was attacking. What was attacking them anyway? Who would think to attack their village just like this? Tukiko didn't know.

Tukiko was in the center of town directing the villagers to run when she noticed that a ninja was trapped under building rubbles. She ran off to go help the ninja. She came there and saw that his leg was trapped underneath a large stone. The ninja saw her and said, "Help me!"

"Okay. Just give me a second." Tukiko grabbed the edges of the stone. She put chakra into her hands and lifted up the stone with ease. The ninja moved his leg as Tukiko threw the stone away. She nodded at the ninja. "Go help anyone who is in trouble."

"Y-Yes!" The ninja scrambled to his feet and ran to go help out the villagers.

Tukiko sighed. "Well, that takes care of that."

"Not quite." Tukiko froze at the male voice that was behind her. She whirled around to see a man with bright orange hair and purple grey ringed eyes. What got her the most were not only the peircings on his face, but the black cloak with the red cloud pattern. The Akatsuki. The very organization in which her two loved ones joined. They often told her stories about them and the members. But this man was unfamiliar to any details they gave her. Who was the man? The man stared at her critically. "Where is Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Who are you? What do you want with Naruto?" Tukiko demanded, slipping a hand to the handle of her katana. The man eyed her hand as she did so.

"Where is he? If you tell me, I will spare your life."

Tukiko felt her temper rise up. He was going to kill her if he did not tell her? Forget it! She would rather die than let her own friend die because she told them where he was. Naruto was her friend! He was worrying about her depression when he was as well. That was showing true friendship. Yet if she told this man from Akatsuki where she was right now, she would not be a true friend to Naruto. Tukiko had grown so angry, her Sharingan accidentally activated.

"Go to hell! I will never tell you where Naruto is. You'll have to get that information through my cold, dead body!"

"Hn. Very well, Uchiha. You will lose your life as I command it."

"Who do you think you are!? God!?" Tukiko drew out her blade and charged it with her chakra. She slashed at the man but he sidestepped and backstepped.

(Wah! I'm sorry! I can't think of anything for the fight so I have to skip it! I'm sorry!)

Tukiko panted, tired from using her Chidori Fist attack. Her eyes scanned the body, seeing it not move anymore. That was good. She defeated the Akatsuki leader. Her Sharingan deactivated just as her knees started to shake and she fell to one knee.

_Damn. That jutsu took a lot out of me._ She suddenly felt her head spin. She felt naesous all of a sudden as well. Tukiko closed her eyes quickly, covering her hand with her mouth to avoid throwing up. It took several deep breaths to not vomit right then. When she felt okay, she sighed. _Of all the times to be sick, it has to be when the village is in danger. Well, better get going._

Tukiko shook her head of the sudden dizziness and lifted up her head to come to eyelevel with the end point of a blade. Her eyes widened as she saw another man with bright orange hair and the same eyes. The only difference was that this man had spikey hair and different placement of his peircings. Behind him stood the same man she took down. He was very much alive.

"H-How did you...?"

"Die." The man in front of her stabbed Tukiko through the forehead. It went straight through her skull. She knew no more.

At that moment, Tukiko Uchiha died.

---

:) So...Tukiko died. What do all of you think?

Oh, and sorry about not writing out the whole fight. I _fail_ when it comes to making up fights. I guess I need some help with that. Again, sorry. I was trying to come up with a fight but I got confused on which Pain body did which and there was a demand for the chapter to come out already and...yeah. Sorry. I'm really busy too. Stupid school...

Well, that's it. Please review.


	19. Life or Death

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. I would not have killed Tukiko if I had done.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 19

Tukiko opened her eyes to see only darkness. The darkness surrounded her, leading to nothing but a dark abyss. She had no idea how she had gotten there, she knew as she glanced around only to see the darkness stretch to every corner.

_Wh-Where am I?_ Tukiko jumped in surprise as her thoughts echoed through the space. She was scared. Where in the world was she? She lifted a hand to grip at her choker for some sort of comfort, but was surprised at the sight of white on her sleeve. She lifted her sleeve to see white and then glanced down on herself. A gasp left her. She saw that she was wearing a pure white kimono. The kimono was soft to the touch, almost like a feather. She had no other things on except for her choker and the engagement ring on her finger. She was freaking out by now. How in the world did she get these clothes? The last thing she remembered was her being in Konoha and fighting the Akatsuki leader. Then she beat the Akatsuki leader only for the him to be revived and he struck his blade through her skull.

"I...DIED!?!?" Tukiko gasped in horror. No! She couldn't be dead! No, it was impossible! She coldn't have died! She was so young. If she was dead, how can she do many of the things she wanted? She wanted to become the greatest kunoichi that ever lived. She wanted to teach the little ones that came after her. She wanted to at least prank the Five Kages of the nations in her lifetime. She wanted to do so many things, but she couldn't anymore. Tears had almost made her way to her eyes, but she stopped as a thought crossed her mind. She died. She had died. That was a good thing. To her, anyway. On her missions, all she could hope for was death itself so that she may see her loved ones again. Her family...her friends...Everyone who had gone away from her life to never return. She could see them again. A grim smile broke out on her face. "Well, I gotta look on the brighter side of things. I died fighting to protecting my village. That's practically the greatest honor a ninja can get. I wonder what heaven's going to be like. I hope everyone I know is there. I wouldn't mind seeing them again."

"WHAT THE HELL!? TUKIKO, DON'T YOU _DARE_ JUST _ACCEPT_ YOUR DEATH AS EASILY AS THAT, YEAH!!!" Tukiko actually jumped a foot in the air when the scream took place. What scared her was that it was a voice she thought she would never hear again. In front of her, she saw that two silhouttes began to appear in front of her, emerging from the shadows. The silhouettes took shape to reveal two figures she knew that she would never have expected to see again if she were alive.

Deidara and Itachi.

They stood in front of her wearing the same clothes that they had died in. Deidara stood there with an angry frown on his face, his arms folded as his sapphire blue eyes glared at her. Itachi stood there next to him silently. Tukiko was gaping at them, her mouth open like a fish.

"D-D-Deidara?! A-Aniki?! W-What the hell!? A-Aren't you g-guys dead!?"

Deidara's eye twitched. He stomped over to her and hit her on the head, making her yell out. "Tukiko, we _are_ dead! And you are too!"

Tukiko frowned, folding her arms. "I already knew that. But what are you guys doing here? Where are we?"

"You are in limbo," Itachi replied, walking over to her. He examined her eyes carefully to see the silvery hued pupils.

"Limbo? What's that?"

"A place between heaven and hell, hm," Deidara answered. "It means that they are still determining whether you will go to heaven or hell. They are deciding where you are going to go right now."

Tukiko tilted her head. "Who are _they?_"

"The gods," Itachi said. "They weigh your soul and examine your life. If you have lived a caring life, you will go to heaven. But if you have lived a very sinful life and done many wrong things, they will send you to hell."

"Oh." Tukiko eyed the both of them, blinking. Okay, she got that much. "So...where are you guys? Heaven? Or hell?"

"Heaven," both of them answered.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really? I knew Aniki was going to heaven, but Deidara?"

"You don't think I'm not good enough to be in heaven? That hurts, koi!" Deidara gave a slight pout, making Tukiko smile. It was nice to see him again. She hoped that she could go to heaven as well. Deidara, then, frowned at her. "Koi...Don't accept your death as easily as that, hm." She sucked in a breath. So he knew that she already accepted that she died. "Tukiko, don't you want to stay alive?"

"Well...I do. But...I don't know if I can go on anymore," she freely admitted. "You guys were the only things that kept me going. Now that you're dead, I-" She cried out when Deidara smacked her on the head again. "Ow! What the heck was that for?!"

"Tukiko, you idiot. What did I tell you before I died?" Tukiko was shocked when Deidara's blue eyes turned glossy, like he was going to cry. This was shocking because Deidara had never cried in front of her before. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. In her ear, she could hear him sobbing. "I told you to move on with your life! It didn't matter if I had died. You still had your whole life ahead of you. Mine was over the day I joined Akatsuki."

"B-But..." Tukiko hugged him back tightly, letting her tears flow and red tears fall down her cheeks. "My future was only about you! I loved you so much. I can't bare to be away from you. When you died, I-I didn't know what to do anymore! It got worse when Aniki died! I'd rather be with you!"

"Imouto, you must move on."

Tukiko sniffled, releasing Deidara at the same time he did. She used the sleeve of her kimono to wipe away her red tears so that she could clearly see Itachi. "Wh-Why? What do you mean?"

Itachi walked to his sister and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. He gave the same gentle smile he had on when he died. This made Tukiko tear up. "You have to move on. Although we may have died, we are not the only things that have kept you alive. You have all of your friends from Konoha, and Sasuke and his team as well. Deidara and I have died to make sure that you would live happily. We just want you to continue being happy. That was our last wish when we had died."

"You...wanted me to be happy?"

"Yes. That was all I wanted for you, Imouto. You've been so unhappy ever since you were little. You don't need us to be happy. You have the ones you love around you. That is enough to keep you well and alive."

"Yeah, Tukiko. Your friends were really worried when they saw you that sad, un," Deidara mentioned. "Even that Kyuubi brat. That master of his, Jiraiya, said that it was that kid's nature to worry about his friends even when he was sad too back in heaven. You should stop dwelling on the past and just move on."

_Stop...dwelling?_ Tukiko said nothing for awhile. Her thoughts lingered on those words. They were the same ones she had said to Sasuke once just a few weeks ago. A few weeks that seemed a very long time ago...

_It was midnight when Tukiko woke up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes so that she could take her turn for the next few hours. Team Hebi were in a forest for the night. Next to her were Suigetsu and Karin, both sleeping soundly. Juugo was resting against a tree. The only source of light that enabled Tukiko to see was the fire that was lit for warmth. Yawning, Tukiko blinked to see Sasuke sitting in front of the fire, the light dancing across his dark eyes. When she woke up, he glanced over to her before staring back into the fire._

_"Hey, go get some sleep." Tukiko stood to her feet and went to sit next to Sasuke. She sat with her knees to her chest. "It's my turn for guard duty."_

_"I'm fine. I'll take your turn," Sasuke said quietly. She frowned, seeing the dark circles under his eyes._

_"No, you are not fine. You look like you haven't slept a wink in weeks." She shoved him in the direction of the others sleeping. "Go. Sleep. Now," she emphasized each word with shove. That barely helped since he didn't move at all. Sasuke scowled and shoved her this time. That shove was a lot more than what Tukiko could do so she ended up falling on the ground on her side. She scrambled back up, glaring at him. _

_"That wasn't nice! How come you're the one who got so strong while I'm still scrawny?" She sighed. "I remember when we were the same size and I could shove you as easily as you could. Now I can't anymore."_

_"Hn. You were still a shrimp even back then."_

_"What did you say?!" Tukiko growled._

_Sasuke turned his head away and the corners of his lips twitched up. Tukiko was about to say something more when she saw this. She grew quiet, shocked to see Sasuke giving a very small smile. She leaned in to see if she was actually seeing this. Sasuke noticed and raised an eyebrow at her._

_"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked._

_"You're...smiling?" Tukiko asked in confusion._

_He stopped smiling and stared at her._

_"So? It's not like you haven't seen me do that."_

_"Well..." Tukiko averted her eyes to not look into Sasuke's. Sasuke wondered why she had done so when he realized what he said. "I...haven't seen you smile in a long time. Not counting that day in the forest, I haven't seen you smile. Not since the massacre happened, I guess."_

_Sasuke stayed silent._

_Silence reigned between the two. Tukiko stared at the dark forest floor in thought. She wanted to see Sasuke smile again. She wanted to see him not so reserved and more trustworthy. She wanted her brother back. The only reason Sasuke was like this was because he kept clinging to the past. He wanted revenge because of what happened oh so many years ago. All of that was in the past and he couldn't seem to let go of it._

_"You have to stop clinging to the past," Tukiko said aloud. Sasuke shot his head up to stare at her. She was staring into the fire by this time, her eyes seeing the flames that danced across her vision. Then she stared up to him, the grey eyes turning to the warm grey that they always were. "Why do you cling to what happened so many years ago? We were seven when the massacre happened. We're already sixteen years old. Why do you want revenge so badly?"_

_"Why?" Sasuke's eyes turned to steel at the mention of his goal. They were so close to turning to the Sharingan. "You know exactly why I want revenge. Itachi killed our whole clan and deserves to die."_

_"But will it make you happy?" she asked in a quiet voice. Sasuke gave a curt nod. Tukiko sighed, brushing her hair back. "You didn't remember a thing I said the night that you were leaving, did you? I told you that revenge couldn't bring you happiness. Just clinging to the past and not living in the future can hurt you too."_

_Tukiko stood to her feet and began to walk back to where Karin and Suigetsu were to go back to sleep. Before she did, she paused and looked over her shoulder to Sasuke. Sasuke was shocked to see the tears in her eyes._

_"You should just forget the past and live in the present. Otherwise, there will be no future for you."_

_She laid down next to Suigetsu, closing her eyes. She instantly fell asleep, leaving Sasuke completely shocked and confused. _

"I said the same thing to Sasuke," Tukiko realized. She lifted her eyes to Deidara and Itachi, tears pricking her eyes. "I told him that if he stayed in the past, he wouldn't have a future anymore. And here I am, clinging to what was." A sob left her, a hand to her mouth. She closed her eyes, crying. "I'm such a hypocrite. I can't even say such a thing when I'm crying over your deaths."

"Tukiko..." Itachi hugged her, letting her cry. He felt happy, even if it was wrong of him to think so. He just thought he would never get to hug his sibling again after he died. He hugged her tightly. "It's fine that you thought so. You lost people precious to you as did Sasuke. It's okay to mourn our deaths. It's just we want you to be happy."

Tukiko nodded, continuing to cry.

Itachi held onto Tukiko as she kept crying. She was incredibly sad and happy. It was moments like these that she had thought she would miss when Itachi died. What she now just realized was that even after death, moments like these would always exist. They would never disappear.

Tukiko finally stopped crying and let go of Itachi. She sniffled, wiping away her tears.

"Are you all right?" Deidara asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes," she said. Then she smiled. "I'm fine. I feel much better now, but..." Her smile slipped. She was starting to remember about the massive battle that was occuring in Konoha right now. She may have died but she wished that she could see her friends again. "I miss my friends. Neji, Sakura, Hinata, Naruto...all of them. I never got to say goodbye to them. They must be so sad knowing that I died. I wish I could see them again."

As if her words had effect, her body suddenly began to glow. Tukiko gasped while Itachi and Deidara gave a smile.

"What's going on?" Tukiko gasped.

"Looks like your wish is coming true, hm," Deidara said.

She looked at him in shock.

"What?"

"You're being revived. Back to the world of the living."

She switched her eyes to Itachi, wide with shock.

"A-Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Deidara smiled and hugged her tightly. Tukiko didn't even have to time to react to the hug when he said, "Hey, Tukiko. If you ever have two kids, name them Hotaru and Hikaru. Even if they're boys, okay?"

Tukiko flushed red as he released her. Deidara backed away from her just as her body began to grow brighter.

"Wh-What do you mean-"

"Take care, Imouto," Itachi said with a smile.

"Bye, Koi! See you when you're older!" Deidara gave a huge grin and waved in goodbye.

"Wait! You didn't say what you meant!" Tukiko shouted. The light around her became too bright for her to see anymore. The light engulfed her as the smiles of her brother and lover stayed in her mind.

---

Tukiko floated back to consiousness. She breathed evenly, sounds moving to her ears. One particular sound was one of someone sobbing. When she was fully consious, she could feel that she was being held to someone very close. She could clearing hear the sounds of sobbing and a beating heart.

_Who's crying?_ She wondered to herself. Who could be crying over her and holding her so tightly?

Someting splashed onto her face. The wetness was warm and slid down her face. This shocked her, because that wetness was tears. The person was crying. That was when Tukiko opened her eyes. She wanted to see who would be crying over her.

Tukiko slowly opened her eyes. At first her vision was blurry. All she could make out was a huge blob of black and cream. Once her vision cleared, she began to see that blob was a person. The person had dark long hair and wore white clothing. The cream she saw was a face. Her half closed eyes wandered up to see closed eyes. Tears fell through those closed eyes. By the sobbing, it sounded like a male. She knew who this person was.

It was Neji.

This shocked Tukiko. Neji...was crying? This was a shock. As long as Tukiko had known him, Neji had never cried. Never. To see him crying must have meant that something had made him incredibly sad. But what? She got her answer when Neji sobbed out a name.

"Tukiko-chan..."

_He's crying? Over me?_

This made Tukiko guilty. She didn't mean to make her best friend so sad. Even when he never cried like this made her incredibly guilty. She had to stop his crying. Tukiko lifted up a hand to Neji's tear stained face and placed it on his cheek. She wiped away his tears with a soft smile.

"Wow, Hyuuga. This is the first time I've ever heard you call me something other than Uchiha. And the first time I've ever seen you cry. It's a miracle!"

Neji's eyes snapped open. His opal eyes stared down at Tukiko's silvery hued grey ones. He was shocked to see that she was smiling. The shock passed over as a smile appeared on his face.

"Tukiko...You're alive!"

He hugged her, surprising her. Tukiko had the breath knocked out of her, but a flash of pain went through her.

"Ow, ow! Neji, that hurts!"

At the cry of pain, Neji immidiately let go. He helped her sit up while apologizing to her. Tukiko slapped away his hand. She could sit up on her own now.

"Neji, seriously. Stop apologizing already," Tukiko snapped as he apologized again. She crossed her legs as she sat on the ground while Neji stood to his feet. "I'm fine already."

"Fine? Tukiko, you died!"

Tukiko raised an eyebrow. Then she realized that he was right. She _did_ die. Then she was suddenly revived. How did that happen?

"Neji...how exactly am I alive again?" Tukiko asked. She tried to stand to her feet, but a wave of nausea went through her. She was unsteady and unbalanced right now. Neji had to catch her from falling.

"Naruto beat the leader of Akatsuki," Neji simply said.

"What?!" Tukiko was surprised again. Naruto had beaten the Akatsuki leader? She couldn't even do that! She ended up dying when she tried to! "How in the world...?"

"Naruto came back as soon as he heard that Konoha was being attacked." Neji picked up Tukiko bridle style and began to walk towards to where the forest was. Tukiko didn't really complain this time. She felt weak right now. Along the way, Neji started to tell her that Naruto completed his Sage training and immidiately came back. He started to fight the Akatsuki leader and took down all six of his bodies. Somewhere in there, Neji threw in the fact that Hinata had went out to try to protect Naruto from getting hurt but almost got hurt along the way. Hinata was fine, but Naruto went balastic and went to fox mode. This caused him to go to eight tails. It stopped right there and Naruto went back to normal. Then he went off to find Pain's real body and had defeated him. Well, not really defeat. The leader just gave up. Tukiko asked why she was alive and Neji explained that the Akatsuki leader used some sort of jutsu to revive all those who had died that day. That's why she, along with many others, were alive again. Neji had heard all of this by Katsuya. By the end of the retelling, Tukiko was gaping.

Naruto had done all of that? He saved the entire village and defeated the Akatsuki leader? That was incredible! He was getting so strong...Tukiko let a smile grow on her face at that thought. Naruto was growing up. He had surpassed so many elite ninjas in strength and had a huge heart. Naruto saved the very village that had scorned him for many years. He was a hero. She realized that Naruto had come a long way from the boy that she had met three years ago. He went from the loud mouthed boy who bragged he was going to become Hokage to the man who had surpassed many people's expectations. She felt proud to know him.

Neji entered the area where all of the ninjs were gathered. He weaved through the crowd with Tukiko still cradeled in his arms. As he weaved through, many of the ninjas saw Tukiko and were relieved that she was still alive. As it may happen, many of the ninjas respected Tukiko greatly. Even those who were in higher ranks than her. This was because she was a sweet girl and was strong. To see her alive made them happy. Neji continued to carry Tukiko through the crowd until they got to the very front. When they got there, Tukiko was met with the cry of her name.

"Tukiko-chan, you're alive!"

Tukiko turned her head towards the crowd and saw pink hair getting through. The pink hair broke through to reveal that it was Sakura. Behind her was almost all of the Konoha twelve.

"Sakura!" Tukiko called. Neji set her down to her feet, but held her waist so that she wouldn't fall. No sooner had he done so, Sakura had tackle hugged Tukiko. She hugged Tukiko so tight, Tukiko thought she was going to die again. "Sakura! You're hurting me!"

"T-Tukiko-chan...I'm so glad you're okay," Sakura cried. "W-We saw Pain strike you through the head and w-we thought you were...!" She didn't even finish that sentence. It was too hard. She almost lost someone who was like her sister. She thought she did.

"Sakura..." Tukiko's eyes grew soft. She hugged Sakura back. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm the great Tukiko Uchiha. I can't be that easily defeated."

"But still..." Sakura let go of Tukiko and faced her. Her green eyes were filled with tears and worry. "You might not be fine anymore."

"What do you mean?"

She opened her mouth to say something when a loud cheering came. All of them turned to the cheering and saw Kakashi carrying Naruto on his back. All of the ninjas smiled at the sight of the blond haired, orange wearing ninja. Then they all raced over to him to hug him, congratulating him for saving Konoha and thanking him endlessly. When seeing Naruto, Sakura said to Tukiko, "I'll tell you later." Then she ran over to Naruto, calling his name.

Tukiko blinked, wondering what she meant. Sakura looked really worried for some reason. Why, she didn't know. Did Sakura know something that she didn't? She would have to find out later.

Tukiko cautiously walked over to where Naruto and Sakura were. Sakura had just let go of Naruto after punching him in the head and hugging him. "Naruto!" she called out his name.

When his name was called out, Naruto turned his head to her direction. He smiled widely when seeing her.

"Tukiko-chan! You're okay too!"

Naruto had just waved his hand in greeting when he was suddenly being hugged. Tukiko had closed the space with her speed and hugged Naruto tightly. She was hugging him around the neck, tears in her eyes. Naruto was shocked. This was like what Sakura just did.

"Naruto, thank you," Tukiko said. "You saved my life. You've saved my life literally and saved me from depression. I now realize that I...love you."

"What!? Tukiko-chan!" Naruto turned a bright red. She didn't really mean that, did she?

Tukiko slapped him on the head, grinning.

"Not like that, you idiot! I meant I I now realize that I love you as I would a real brother." She wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes. "You worried about me when I was really sad. Even when Jiraiya had died, you worried about me. For that, I'm grateful to you." She bowed to him. "Thank you, Naruto Uzumaki. I'm in your debt."

Naruto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Tukiko-chan, you don't need to do that. You don't owe me anything. You're my friend and like my sister. I'm just really glad that you're okay now. You are okay, right?"

Tukiko tilted her head, smiling.

"Yeah. I'm all right. I've moved on."

---

...Wow. I cannot believe how many reviews I got within the first few days of posting the last chapter. All of you kept saying, "NO! What the heck!? Tukiko can't be dead!" and "You can't just leave it there!" That kinda made me both giggle and marvel at it. Do all of you _really_ like this story this much to be mad that Tukiko sorta died? I'm surprised that you guys cared so much about her.

Anyway, that's all I'm going to say. This week, I just took my CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) and I was pretty much brain dead. That test was so easy that my brain was tired by the end of it. I'm just glad it's over. That's why I didn't update earlier than I should have. It's my day off today, so I'm done talking.

Please review!


	20. Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 20

"Hey, where do I put this?" Tukiko called out to the contractors. Over her shoulder, she carried a long wooden board that was going to be used in the building of the village.

"Just put it over there." One man pointed over to a pile of wooden boards then went straight back to work.

Tukiko walked over to the pile and carefully placed down the board. When she did, she stretched her arms. That board was pretty heavy. But she had to endure it if she wanted to help rebuild the village.

Several days had passed since the attack on Konoha. All of the ninjas were trying their best to help rebuild the village in anyway. Some of them had to help out the civilans since they no longer had any homes. Even the Konoha twevle were pretty busy. Tukiko as well. Heck, she even heard that Yamato was helping out the most since he was using his wood jutsus to help make most of the buildings. It was pretty good that he was helping because no one wanted to live in tents for a long time.

_It's great to see that everyone's working together to help out,_ Tukiko thought with a smile. She watched as ninjas and civilans alike were helping each other with the building. She fixed her white t-shirt and pants-what she was wearing while she was working on the constructions- and sat down on the wooden boards. She continued to watch the two groups work together. _It's the first time I've ever seen something like this. If only Tsunade could see how her people are working._

A pang of hurt rang in her chest at the name. Her smile faded as she thought of Tsunade. Ever since the attack, Tsunade had ended up getting hurt and using up all her chakra. She had used her chakra to try and keep everyone alive, but that consquently made her faint and go into a coma. Everyone was devastated at the news. Tsunade was their Hokage and she helped protect the village. What were they going to do now that she was out of comission? If Tsunade died, she would just be like the rest of the Hokages who died for the village. Why was it that their Hokage always had to die saving their village? It was great that they did, but that also meant they lost one of the greatest shinobi that ever lived. Tukiko wished that Tsunade would wake up soon.

_If Tsunade ever wakes up, I gotta talk to her about my new _problem.

Tukiko scowled at the sky, her thoughts drifting to what Sakura had said to her just a few days ago. News that had completely changed her life for the worse and the better.

_"Tukiko-chan?"_

_Tukiko was setting down some of the supplies that she had found in the wreckage in her personal tent. She set them down when she heard Sakura enter her tent. She turned around to see Sakura standing there with a nervous expression on her face._

_"Yeah, Sakura? What is it?"_

_Sakura bit her lip, wringing her hands together._

_"Um...Do you remember when I had to tell you something after you woke up after the attack?"_

_"Yeah. What about it?" Tukiko asked, sitting down on the tatami floor._

_Sakura did the same, sitting in front of Tukiko with her hands moving on her lap._

_"Well, when you had died, I went to go check if you were still alive when, of course you wouldn't," she said, her voice small. "But when I examined your body, I...found something."_

_She raised an eyebrow, folding her arms._

_"What do you mean?"_

_Sakura made eye contact with Tukiko. Tukiko saw the concern and worry in her eyes. Then Sakura broke it, glancing away to the side._

_"Tukiko...I don't know how to say this but..." She sighed. "You're pregnant."_

_Silence filled the space between the two. Tukiko was staring at Sakura as if she were crazy. Did she just hear those words right? She had to be crazy. She wasn't pregnant. Sakura had to have said something else._

_"Excuse me?"_

_Sakura nodded. "You're pregnant, Tukiko-chan."_

_Tukiko opened her mouth to say something, but no words left her. She couldn't be pregnant. Could she? Sakura could be wrong, but she was a skilled medic who was going to surpass Tsunade by the way she was going. Tukiko only ever let Tsunade or Sakura examine her body so she always trusted what they said. But having Sakura say she was pregnant was absolutely crazy! She finally found her voice a few minutes later._

_"S-Sakura, are you sure? I-I mean, I can't be..._pregnant."

_"I'm sure. I checked your abdomen and found a secondary chakra forming there. Your chakra is linked to it," she explained. "The fact that your stomach is still flat means that you're probably two or three months along."_

_"Sakura! I'm not pregnant!" Tukiko exclaimed, her voice high with anxiety. She couldn't listen to this! "There's no way that I can be pregnant!"_

_Sakura raised an eyebrow._

_"Oh, really? When was the last time you've had your period?"_

_Tukiko opened her mouth to say when, but she started to realize something. She hadn't had her period in a few weeks. She should've had it by now. She closed her mouth, trying to think of when she had her period. Sometimes she forgot when her period was due to the mission time wracking up her brain._

Shit. I can't remember.

_"Have you been throwing up lately in the morning? Had chakra exhaustion more frequently? Been finding that you keep eating for some reason?" Sakura questioned with clarity._

_Tukiko was shocked at all of those specific symptoms. Oh, dear god. She did have those symptoms. She always wondered why she was throwing up in the morning and losing her chakra more quickly than usual. The effect of the information sunk it with a feeling of horror. She held a hand to her mouth in fear._

_"Oh, my god. I am pregnant." Tukiko squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. She couldn't believe it. She was pregnant at the age of sixteen. That was ridiculous. "How could I have gotten pregnant? That's impossible!"_

_"Have you had...intercourse lately?" Sakura hesitantly asked. She never pried Tukiko for her personal life. It was what a good friend would do. Until now._

_"No! Wait..." Now that Tukiko was starting to remember, the last time she had her period was just a couple days before Deidara proposed to her. And on the night of the engagement, they had...Her jaw dropped, her eyes flying wide open. Then she smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh, dear God all mighty! I did!"_

_"Tukiko-chan! I thought you were waiting until you got married!" Sakura gasped at her friend. The thought of the innocent girl actually having sex was just shocking. Tukiko couldn't even think about the word sex without blushing._

_"I-I was, but I I did it because..." Tukiko sighed heavily. She might as well as tell Sakura the truth. People were going to ask who the father was when it is revealed that she is pregnant so she might as well as tell someone who's like a sister to her. "I...got engaged."_

_"Wh-What?" Sakura was shocked again. "You got engaged and you never tell me?"_

_"Well, I was engaged." Tukiko stared down at her hands on her lap. "But my finacé died in battle a few weeks after he proposed to me. I couldn't tell you because of who he was a part of."_

_Sakura frowned at the way Tukiko looked right now. She may have been looking down at her lap, but she could see the red tears that would soon start dripping down her face. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said quietly. "But who was your finace?"_

_Tukiko sniffled, blinking away any unwanted tears. She stared at Sakura dead in the eyes._

_"Do you recall a blond haired man that went by the name of Deidara?"_

_Sakura tilted her head in thought. She knew that name somewhere but she wasn't too sure. Then she remembered blond hair with blue eyes and a red cloud. She gasped._

_"Deidara of the Akatsuki?! He's your fiancé!?"_

_Tukiko nodded and proceeded to tell her everything. She told her that she and Deidara knew each other before he even joined the Akatsuki and she fell in love with him. She told Sakura that even if he was a part of Akatsuki, she would never stop loving him and even told her that they were sneaking behind their village and organizations' backs just to see each other. When Tukiko was done explaining, Sakura cooed._

_"Aw! Tukiko-chan, your love story is like a story I once heard! Both of you are on enemy sides and you both fell in love! Then he proposed to you! That's so romantic!"_

_"Sakura, how the hell is that romantic when my finacé _died_ at my brother's hands?" Tukiko snapped at her. She didn't mean to sound like that but she was just getting irritated for some reason._

_"I know, I know." Sakura waved off her snappy mood like it was nothing. She was used to Tukiko's temper tantrums and knew it would get worse when her moodswing stage hit in her pregnancy. "But on a serious note, what are you going to do now? Are you going to keep the baby?"_

_"I don't know." Tukiko put a hand to her stomach, biting her lip. She really didn't know what to do. She wanted to keep the baby, but what if other people found out? They were going to kill the baby and her with it if word got out that she was seeing an enemy ninja-one from an evil organization at that-behind their backs. She wasn't sure of what to do. She was scared, to be honest. She truly didn't know what to do. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes. "Sakura, I don't know what to do. I'm scared. If people find out about this, they'll...they'll...!"_

_"Then we won't say anything."_

_Tukiko blinked, a tear falling down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away to stare at Sakura._

_"Wh-What do you mean?"_

_Sakura sighed, then grinned._

_"Wow, this is the first time I've heard the great Tukiko Uchiha not getting something."_

_She glared at her._

_"Shut it, Haruno. I've been under a lot of stress lately, okay?"_

_"I know." Sakura suddenly became serious. "We won't tell anyone about this secret. It'll be our little secret. You're really good at hiding everything since you've been hiding that you're close to an Akatsuki member for three years and I'll keep my mouth shut." She grinned. "And if I do this for you, I get to be the godmother of your child, okay? Do we have a deal?"_

_Tukiko smirked at her. She nodded._

_"You got yourself a deal, _Auntie Sakura._"_

_The two girls giggled about that name before discussing things that would concern Tukiko's pregnancy. Sakura would need to help Tukiko out_ a lot_ if she wanted to hide this secret well. That's why Tukiko loved her like a sister._

"I don't think I could've got through any of that if it weren't for Sakura," Tukiko muttered to herself. She sighed. Sakura was such a good friend to her. Sometimes, she felt like she didn't deserve a friend like her. Neither with Neji, Naruto, Hinata, and everyone else. She actually felt like that she didn't do anything to deserve friends like this. But she had. Itachi and Deidara said so themselves. They worried about her when she was down. They were always there for her and she didn't realize it until now. "I'm glad that those two told me that. If not, I wouldn't have realized that I had such good friends."

Tukiko now knew that she was going to treasure her friends as long as she could. She would never let them feel sad such as she had.

_Now that I think about it, Sakura and Naruto must pretty sad right now._ Tukiko knew that Tsunade was important to them as well. Sakura was her student and almost like a daughter to Tsunade while Naruto was like a little brother. Both of them were close to the Hokage and to have her in a coma must have been devestating for them. Tukiko wondered if she should go cheer them up. _Maybe I will. Naruto and Sakura comforted me when I was sad so I should do the same._

With that resolved, she stood to her feet and started to walk towards the location that the two might be in. It took her a few minutes before she found the two sitting on a pile of planks. Both looked mildly depressed as both had their heads hanging. They both looked up when Tukiko arrived.

"Hey, Tukiko-chan," Naruto greeted, smiling. "Where were you?"

"I've been working. Thought I would come see you guys." She frowned at the expressions both had. "Are you guys okay?"

"I'm not sure," Sakura admitted. "We're just worried about Shishou is all. She's not awake yet."

"Sakura..." Tukiko sat down by Sakura and gave a gentle smile. "I'm postive that Tsunade-sama will wake up soon. After all, she's the Hokage and they're usually the strongest ones in the village. Plus, we both know how stubborn she is. She won't go through death that easily when the rest of the village needs her. She'll be fine."

Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other then at Tukiko's smiling face. How in the world could she be the only one not depressed about Tsunade being in a coma? Then they realized that maybe being the only one out of all of them to experiance dying must have made her optimistic about others recovering. Tsunade was not in danger of dying so Tukiko thought this was positive enough. They smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Naruto laughed.

Tukiko smirked proudly. "Aren't I always?"

"No. Not always." Sakura grinned.

"Oh, Sakura! That's so mean!"

The three laughed as if nothing had happened. They stopped when hearing a voice.

"Long time no see, Naruto! Sakura! Sasuke!" a voice called out to them. The three teenagers lifted up their heads to see an old man and a boy with black hair. The boy smiled cheekily. "I never thought I'd see you heroes again, Naruto!"

Naruto and Sakura blinked in confusion then shot up to their feet, smiling.

"Inari and Tazuna!" they exclaimed.

"Wow, Inari! You've gotten big!" Naruto said, smiling at the boy. Then he turned to the old man. "And you've gotten older, old man!"

The old man sighed. "Give me a break."

"You've gotten prettier too, Sakura," the boy complimented.

Sakura blushed and put a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Do you think so?"

"Hey, did Sasuke grow at all or is it just me?" The old man asked Naruto, pointing in the direction of Tukiko. Tukiko was staring at him with a look of confusion.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Naruto asked, freezing at the name of his best friend.

Tukiko wondered as well until she realized her appearance. Since her hair had been cut during her fight with Pein, it now looked like what it would be if she still had the same hairstyle as when she was younger with her bangs hanging down on her forehead. Not to mention, her curves were hidden under the slightly baggy clothes that she wore to be more comfortable when working. Overall, she looked _exactly_ like Sasuke.

"Oh, you're here already?"

Kakashi came out from the shadows of the trees. He walked over to where the small group lay.

"Hey, Kakashi!" said the boy. "We came as soon as we heard Konoha was in trouble."

"I see..."

As the adults began to converse, the boy-who Tukiko thought was called Inari-glanced over in her direction and smiled. Tukiko was surprised when Inari walked over to her with a smile.

"Sasuke, how've you been? Are you and Naruto getting along all right? Last time I remember, you two were always fighting," he said. He laughed at the memory. "I bet you two still fight, huh?"

Tukiko blinked several times, too stunned to say anything. Hearing herself being called Sasuke was unusual...but warming. She knew she was weird saying this, but...she missed being mistaken for Sasuke. It was hard to explain. All her life she was called 'Sasuke' so she was used to it. When it suddenly disappeared from her life when she was thirteen, it was unusual _not_ to be called Sasuke's clone. Guess it happens with identical twins. Or at least with her and Sasuke. She gave a gentle smile to Inari.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but you've mistaken me for someone else. My name isn't Sasuke."

"What?" Inari's eyebrows shot up. "You're not Sasuke? But you look a lot like him."

"That's because this is Sasuke's twin sister, Tukiko Uchiha," Kakashi answered, coming up behind Inari.

"Eh? Sasuke has a twin sister?" the old man asked in surprise. "Why hasn't she ever been mentioned to us before?"

"She only came back sometime after our mission with you. None of us even knew Sasuke had a twin sister until she came back to the village a few years ago," Naruto said.

"Oh, I see." Inari seemed apologetic to Tukiko now and bowed. "I'm sorry for mistakening you for your brother, Uchiha-san."

"No, it's okay!" Tukiko shot up to her feet, putting up her hands. "Stuff like that happens to me all the time. You don't need to apologize." She hastily bowed at the waist to Inari and the old man. "My name is Tukiko Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you...?"

"My name's Tazuna," the old man introduced. "This is my grandson, Inari. We're carpenters from the Land of Waves. I requested a mission from your village a few years back and Team 7 escorted me back home. They helped us out there when we were in a tight situation."

"Is that so? I never knew that."

"Wow, you're a lot like Sasuke, but less cranky," Inari commented. This resulted in a smack on the head by Tazuna.

Tukiko let a gentle smile on her face. "Don't worry. That's what all my friends say too."

"Yeah. Tukiko-chan's like Sasuke, but at the same time she's not," Naruto explained. "But we love her all the same."

"So if Tukiko's here, where's Sasuke? I want to talk to him," Tazuna asked.

Everyone became silent at the mention of Sasuke. Tukiko herself frowned, not meeting Tazuna's eyes. She couldn't think of Sasuke without becoming sad. She still hadn't forgiven him for killing Itachi, though she wasn't going to get her revenge. Right now, she wondered where he could be or what he was doing. Now that Itachi was dead and he fulfilled his ambition, what was he going to do? Would he return to the village? She hoped he would. She missed him and prayed to all gods out there that he was fine.

"Well, you see," Naruto started to say. He rubbed the back of his head, grinning. "The thing is, me and Sasuke got into a fight awhile ago so he had to left for a short time. But I'll bring him back soon! You can say hi when he gets back. Right, Sakura?" He was asking her. "He'd love to see you again."

Sakura seemed stunned for a moment before smiling and nodding.

"What kind of trouble did you two get into? A love triangel or something?" Tazuna joked.

Naruto blushed and laughed. "Of course not!"

Tukiko couldn't help but snicker at what Tazuna said. Now that Hinata confessed her love to Naruto, she wondered if Naruto would either go for Sakura or Hinata. Naruto had a crush on Sakura. Hinata was a sweet girl and Naruto couldn't break her heart. Naruto probably didn't even realize how much romance trouble he would get later on. By the looks of it, he didn't.

After talking for a bit, Tazuna and Inari had to go back to work. They bid goodbye and said it was nice meeting Tukiko. She said the same thing back with a smile. When the two were out of outshot, Naruto suddenly said, "I understand now...About how Sasuke felt." Tukiko, Kakashi and Sakura stared at Naruto. Tukiko didn't understand what he meant by that until he said it. "I know what revenge is. I thought I understood him but really I didn't. No wonder nothing I said to him got through."

Tukiko smiled and patted Naruto on the shoulder sympathetically. Naruto glanced over his shoulder to her smiling face. "Don't worry, Naruto. You're not the only one." Her smile faded as she stared at the ground. "I kept telling Sasuke over and over that revenge was not something to go after. He never listened to a word I said and I'm his sister for god's sake! His twin, too! I should understand my brother, but I can't."

"Tukiko-chan..." Naruto smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. This earned a squeak from her. "No worries! Now that I understand his pain of losing someone, I can finally fight him! It might hurt a lot but I want to fight with him for real this time. I'll get the four of us of Team 7 back together in no time!"

Tukiko smiled again and hugged back. She hoped that they would be back together soon. She missed those times of being together as a team.

The peace was disrupted when Kiba suddenly appeared in front of them on top of Akamaru. Tukiko let go of Naruto and stared at him. Kiba got off of Akamaru, looking very anxious. "There you guys are!"

"Kiba, what is it?" Sakura asked.

"Listen! You have to calm down and listen. Tsunade has been dismissed as Hokage!" Kiba informed them.

The four of them were shocked. Tukiko glanced over to Kakashi and met his surprised look. Tsunade dismissed as Hokage? But how? By who?

"Who's Hokage now?" Tukiko demanded, stepping forward.

"The sixth Hokage is some guy named Danzo! I don't know anything about him, but apparently he's pretty shady."

Tukiko gasped, taking a step back. She felt a feeling of dread fill her. Danzo was Hokage now? How was that possible? If he was Hokage, they were screwed. Tukiko and Danzo never saw eye to eye and didn't particulary like each other. Ever since she learned about ROOT and what he had done in the past, she was very reluctant to go near him. To have him as the Hokage could be dangerous for her.

"That's not the only thing," Kiba continued. "The new Hokage has given permission to dispose of Sasuke as a missing-nin!"

Tukiko paled, her breath hitching. Sasuke was to be killed now? No!

They _were_ screwed.


	21. Decisions

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 21

"How the hell did this even happen?!" Tukiko muttered under her breath. She was leaning against a tree, biting her thumbnail in agitation. She was by a stream near the campsites that acted as the homes of the people of Konoha with Naruto and Sakura with her.

"This isn't fair! Why can't Danzo just wait?!" Naruto yelled in anger. He was clenching his fists and glaring darkly at the ground.

"But Kakashi-sensei was right. Sasuke-kun _is_ a rogue ninja but..." Sakura bit her lip, not liking any of this one bit. All of them weren't.

Shortly after Kiba revealed that Danzo was Hokage now and ordered Sasuke's death, the three grew upset. They couldn't let Sasuke get killed by other ninjas! They didn't find him yet. Sasuke couldn't die at all! Normally a rogue ninja is to kill on sight. With Tsunade, she never ordered anyone to go and kill Sasuke since she knew how much he meant to them. Now with Danzo as the Hokage he could order all of them to kill him. Sakura and Naruto thought it was unfair that Danzo was the Hokage and tried to go and talk to him to change his mind. Kakashi was able to stop them by telling them that all the jonins had to vote on Danzo being Hokage. When they had a proper vote Danzo might now be Hokage anymore and whoever was could stop the order. For now, however, they had to deal with the fact that he was Hokage.

"This so isn't fair!" Tukiko banged the back of her head against the tree trunk behind her. She was upset, frustrated and just plain damn nervous. Not only was Sasuke sentenced to die on sight, Danzo was Hokage! To tell the truth, Tukiko didn't really care about Sasuke right now. After what recently happened with him killing the father of her child and their brother, she could care less about her brother. Sasuke was the least of her worries. Danzo, on the other hand, was. There was something about that man that creeped her out. Hell, she didn't even trust him nor the council. After reading that they were the ones to order Itachi to kill their entire clan, she tended not to listen to any order they gave her. That was why she was on Tsunade's personal ANBU squad. She took direct orders from Tsunade, not the council. Danzo was the one she didn't trust the most. She heard rumors about him in the ANBU and all of them bad. Like how he had this secret organization called ROOT, the place where Sai came from.

And now that she mentioned it, Sai probably knew about him! He knew things that Danzo might be planning on doing as Hokage! For all she knew, one of those orders was to send her to jail because she was "part of the traitor clan."

Tukiko decided on that. She asked Naruto, "Do you know where Sai is?"

"Sai?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because he might know about Danzo." Tukiko straightened up and made to walk back towards the camps. "I'm going to go find him."

"Find who?" A voice said behind them. The three turned around to see that it was Sai walking towards them.

"Perfect timing, Sai," Tukiko commented, walking towards him. "We wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"We wanted to ask you about Danzo," Sakura asked. She got why Tukiko needed to know about Danzo. They didn't know him very well either and the only one who did was Sai.

Sai was silent for a second before saying with no emotion, "I can't."

The three grew angry.

"Why not!?"

"Are you taking his side!?"

"Just tell us!"

"No, that's not it. I literally can't talk about him because of this." Sai opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. On the very back of his tongue was a black fork-like seal seperated into segments. They were surprised.

"A...seal?" Sakura muttered.

"Huh. So Danzo's that cautious, huh?" Tukiko mused, staring at the seal. She knew that type. It was the kind that made the person sealed freeze up if they were to do anything that the seal forbid. She just didn't know that Danzo would actually do that.

Sai nodded. "Yeah. Danzo put it on me. If I try to talk about him, my whole body will be paralyzed and I'll be unable to move or talk. All the foundation members have it."

"You mean ROOT, right?'

"Yes. Danzo and the foundation are top secret. We've done a lot of dirty deeds to protect the village. So he has to make sure no info can get out. Even if we're captured, no one can make us talk."

"Oh yeah. I read about that." Naruto, Sakura and Sai gave her weird, curious looks. She put her hands up in defense. "I read Tsunade's papers, okay? Don't tell anyone but I wanted to do a little background check on everyone on the council, even on the top secret ones. I read somewhere that Danzo made ROOT and it did so many things that the Third Hokage went against for the way our village's safety was earned. The only thing I'm really sure about Danzo is that he really does care for the village. It's just his methods are a bit...crude." She had a tone of distaste at the end.

"They why did he go back on Tsunade's promise about Sasuke?" Sakura demanded. "He's trying to kill Sasuke!"

Sai tensed visibly. "R-Really? I haven't heard anything about that," he said in genuine surprise. Tukiko knew he was telling the truth since she knew how to read a lie or the truth from a person's words and tone.

But Tukiko paid no more attention to that as she sensed someone come up near them. She slid out a kunai she hid in her sleeves just as something came near Sakura. She pushed herself in between Sakura, kunai ready, as a sword came out of nowhere. Metal met metal, a clang sounding the area. The person who weilded the sword was a girl with a bandanna tied around her head. On her forehead was the symbol of Kumo.

"Tell us everything you know about Sasuke Uchiha since you seem to be friends with him!" The girl demanded, using her sword to push her back.

"Not a chance!" Tukiko knew she couldn't work with a regular kunai. She was at a disadvantage. Luckily, Naruto decided to help out and threw kunai at the girl and her friend, a boy with short hair and a lollipop in his mouth. Naruto sprang into action and tried to elbow the girl, but the boy took out his sword on his back and used the hilt to block his elbow. Naruto then made the handseal for the Kage bunshin. As he was doing this, the girl spun around the boy's back while twirling her sword and almost let go of it. The sword was stopped, however, by Naruto's clone as he clamped his palms down on the blade.

While all of this was happening, Sakura and Sai came from both sides of the two Kumo ninjas. The boy evidentaly saw them coming and kicked Sakura and sent her flying in one direction. Sai missed when he tried kicking the girl. The real Naruto went to go catch Sakura as Tukiko ran over to her. The girl elbowed Naruto's clone in the face to dispel it. Then she and the boy jumped away from the Konoha ninjas and onto the water.

Tukiko knelt by Sakura to check if she was okay. Sakura didn't look hurt. Seeing her hurt, Tukiko grew pissed and shot a glare at the Kumo ninjas. If there was one thing Tukiko hated, it was seeing Sakura get hurt. She saw Sakura as her surrogate sister ever since that day three years ago when Sakura helped her with getting over Sasuke and vice versa. And she was the godmother of her fucking child, goddamnit! They had an agreement! "What the hell are you Kumo ninjas doing in Konoha?" Tukiko hissed, venom lacing her words.

The boy pointed a finger at them. "You were talking about Sasuke! Tell us about him!"

"What does it have to do with you?!" Sakura demanded.

"Everything! Sasuke Uchiha attacked our village!"

The four Konoha ninjas were shell shocked. Did they just hear that right?

"That missing-nin Uchiha took our master! We don't even know if our master is dead or alive!" The girl shrieked, anger and hatred in her words.

"N-No way...Why would Sasuke do that?" Sakura stuttered, still stunned.

"How should I know what Akatsuki wants?" The boy retorted.

"What do you mean Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. Tukiko felt dread filling her, the same when Deidara and Itachi were about to die. She wasn't going to like this news, was she?

"Huh!? Are you kidding me! Sasuke is a member of Akatsuki!" The girl pointed a finger at them, as if accusing them of the crime.

Tukiko felt her whole world shut down. There was no way...no way...Sasuke a part of Akatsuki? The very organization that took away her brother and lover? That couldn't be true. No...no...no! She didn't care about Sasuke anymore but a deep part of her didn't want her to go _there!_ Not in that organization! People in that group were always known to die since they were S-ranked missing-nins! Sasuke was going to die if he stayed with them. And he went to Kumo? To capture the Jinchurriki? Which one though?

"H-Hey. Who was your master?' Tukiko hesitantly asked. She's been in Kumo the second longest she's ever been. About nine months. During that time she got to know all of the people there, including the two Jinchuriki who were there. Both of them were her friends and they taught her all sorts of things. Hell, they even proved that she was a lightning type!

"He was the eight tail Jinchuriki, Killer Bee! And your damn Uchiha caught him and probably killed him!"

Tukiko gasped in horror, a hand to her mouth. She knew him! "H-He c-caught Bee? H-How!? He was the strongest person there was in Kumo! Even stronger than his brother! How in the hell did he lose to Sasuke!?" She couldn't believe this. Sasuke caught Bee. Killer Bee, she respected the most. He was one of the best swordsmen she has ever seen and the very one who taught her even how to weild one. She couldn't weild one until she grew older because she was too small to back then. To hear this happen to him was just horrible. And for her twin brother to do this of all things! "I mean, I liked Bee more than Yugito since he never got mad at me but...ugh! How the fuck did he lose to _Sasuke_ of all people!? He's not that strong! Hell, I couldn't even beat Bee! And we're the same type and use the same jutsu, damn it! That's so not fair! And it's only because he got the Sharingan and uses it more than me!"

Everyone stared at Tukiko as she started to rant on about how Sasuke beating Killer Bee was totally unfair. That was when the Kumo ninjas just noticed that Tukiko looked a lot like Sasuke and had the Uchiha crest on her choker. They tensed up, growling. They got into a battle position.

"You! You're Sasuke Uchiha, aren't you!?" The girl accused her. "Your appearance matches that closely to the ones that the scouts gave us!"

Tukiko paused mid-rant, letting her face fall to an experssionless one. She then glowered at them. "Are you idiots? Do I _look_ like Sasuke to you? I would never be him."

"Then if you aren't that damn criminal, then who are you?!" The boy demanded, pointing his sword at her.

"My name is Tukiko Uchiha. And that 'damn criminal' happens to be my twin brother." Tukiko scowled at the pair of them, standing to her feet and putting a hand on her hip. She glared at them, her Sharingan activating. "The twin brother that I hate right now for more reasons than I can say, but my twin brother none the less!"

"Then if you're the Uchiha's twin, tell us all about him! We need to get our master back!"

"No."

"Just tell us-"

"I SAID _NO!_" Tukiko felt a surge of power go straight to her eyes as she glared at the water under their feet. Black flames bursted at their feet. They jumped back in shock, staring at the black flames. They glanced up to meet Tukiko's eyes to see that the tomoes in her eyes had melded together into a fuma shuriken pattern with a curved wheel next to the straight lines of the fuma one. A single black circle lined her black pupil. "Do you two honestly think that I'll tell you my twin brother's weaknesses? Do you honestly think that I would betray my own blood!? You guys have another thing coming if you think I'll tell you! Get the hell out of here before I burn both of you to ashes with my _Amaterasu!_"

As if to emphasize her point, the black fire on the water seemed to grow larger.

"Oh, shit," the guy muttered. He studied Tukiko even further and finally realized who she was. "That's the Bloody Swallow!"

"What?! No, it isn't!" The girl aruged.

"Of course it is! The only Uchiha alive other than the one we're after is a girl who's nicknamed the Bloody Swallow!"

The two secretly shuddered at the name. Anyone would know of that name. She was the best assassin Konoha had. Rumor had it she completed more assassination jobs better than any of their own assassins. Plus, they heard that she didn't hold back. She was merciless.

"Ugh! We have no choice." The girl glared at the group of them. "You win this time, Uchiha. But mark my words, we'll fucking kill you on spot if we see you again."

With that threat lingering in the arm, the girl disappeared. The guy followed soon after.

After they were gone, all the energy seemed to leave Tukiko. She sank to her knees, her Sharingan fading away. Sakura rushed to her side, put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Tukiko-chan, are you alright?"

"I'm...fine," Tukiko breathed. She brushed her locks of hair away from her eyes. She unconsciously used the Mangekyou Sharingan without meaning to. She was just so pissed. But she shouldn't have used it since it will only lead to her blindness.

"What were...Weren't those the flames we saw when we found that Uchiha hideout destroyed? The ones that burned on the surrounding forest?" Sai asked, pointing to the water. The flames were still burning strongly.

"The-The _Amaterasu?_ Y-Yeah. It's an ablity users of the Mangekyou Sharingan can use." Tukiko rubbed her eyes to see if they hurt. Strangely, they didn't. This surprised her since whenever she used it her eyes would burn for days. They didn't at all right now.

"The-The Mangekyou Sharingan?" Naruto whispered in a small voice. It was hard to hear him, but she did. "T-Tukiko-chan...do...You have the Mangekyou Sharingan?"

Tukiko opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. The one thing she first saw was the disbelief on his face. Then the sadness in it. She smiled sadly. He knew. "So you know about it, huh, Naruto?"

Naruto slowly nodded. He bit his lip, frowning. Sai and Sakura just stared between them.

"What's the Magekyou Sharingan?" Sakura questioned.

"The Mangekyou Sharingan...It's the next step after the Sharingan. It's more powerful than the regular Sharingan and has more jutsus to use." Tukiko dropped her eyes to the ground. Her smile faded until it was emotionless. "But there's a heavy price if you want to gain it."

"And what is that?" Sai asked.

"To kill..."

"The one who is closest to you," Naruto finished. He was trembling by now, from both sadness and anger.

"Yes. To kill the one you call your friend. That is the price to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Sakura gasped. "What?! Tukiko, how could you have gained that? That's terrible! But who did you kill?"

"I didn't kill anyone." Tukiko glanced up at Sakura with unshed tears. "It wasn't my choice either. It happened when I was in the hospital when I was thirteen; right after Sasuke left."

She briefly explained her dream she had while in the hospital. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai didn't look very happy about it.

"So you gained it because it felt like you killed Sasuke, who was your best friend at the time?" Naruto asked.

She nodded. "Ever since I found out about it, I tried to never use it. How terrible it is to use a Sharingan that was gained by thinking you killed you brother. Plus, I don't want to go blind."

"Then why did you just use it now?" Sai asked. He was just getting curiouser about her Sharingan.

"I don't know. When I lose my temper I activate my Sharingan. I was really pissed about them telling me to tell them about Sasuke and...I just snapped."

"Of course her new powers would be used when she's angry," Sakura muttered.

"Not my fault. I have no control on my temper." Tukiko couldn't take it when they ordered her to tell them about Sasuke. She knew that they were going to kill him using that information. That was something she couldn't tolerate. Sure, she felt like she wanted Sasuke dead but not when other people were out to kill him as well. It was hard to explain. She could only stand it if she were the one to kill him. But that promise to Itachi and Deidara...She shook her head, tears threatening to fall. With Sasuke out there killing people and capturing Jinchuuriki, she had to do something. She couldn't let him continue on. Only she could settle this.

_Aniki, Deidara...I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to break two promises at once._

She shakily stood to her feet. She started to walk towards the direction of the village. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai stared at her.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked.

"Back to the village."

"Why?"

Tukiko paused, looking over her shoulder. They were all surprised to see a replica of Sasuke's emotionless face staring back at them with cold, steely-grey, silvery-lined eyes.

"I'm going to talk to Danzo. I'm going to tell him that only one person can kill Sasuke and that's going to be me."

The three were sent into shock. Tukiko used this time to run and escape towards the village before they could convince her otherwise.

For the next half hour, Tukiko started to search through the camps that were currently Konoha. There were many tents and she had to search through each one. Each time she met with failure. The thirty minutes passed by and Tukiko still hadn't found him. She even checked the tents where the elders were supposed to be in but no one was there.

"How hard is it to find an old man who was named Hokage?" Tukiko muttered under her breath. She was slowly walking behind the more important tents where meetings were currently being held. She already checked those tents. He wasn't in any of them. This was getting on her nerves; more so than usual. Maybe it was just her hormones that were making her more pissed than usual.

She passed by the tents where the Hyuugas were supposed to be staying. As she started to walk by, Neji stepped out from one of the tents. He spotted her right away and called out to her. Tukiko lifted up her head to see him walking towards her.

"Tukiko, what are you doing here?" Neji asked her. The Hyuuga tents were on the other side of the grounds from Tukiko's tent. She wouldn't walk very far due to her growing exhaustion. He was planning on visiting her soon. Her exhaustion seemed to have surfaced after she died. It was growing even more now. He hoped that she was alright. (A/N: If only he knew...) Seeing her standing in front of him, he saw that she was.

"I was just looking for someone," she curtly answered. Neji noticed the cold tone in her voice. He could tell that she was worried about something. He knew Tukiko enough to know that when she used her cold tone, she was either upset about something or angry. Tukiko glanced up to his lavender eyes. "Have you, by any chance, seen Danzo around?"

"Danzo?" He asked in surprise. Why would she want to know where Danzo was? He knew that he was the Hokage now, but what could Tukiko possibly talk to him about? Tukiko always complained to him about how creepy Danzo was. She always avoided him. Why would she willingly see him now? "He's not in the village anymore."

"Huh? Why?"

"There was a notice about an emergency meeting between the Five Kages of the Shinobi nations in the Land of Iron. He left for it some time ago. Why would you want to find him?"

"I need to talk to him about something." Tukiko walked past Neji, ignoring the look he was giving her.

Neji walked behind her, trying to catch up. Tukiko was walking even faster. "What do you need to talk to him about?"

"It's about...something," Tukiko lied. She couldn't tell Neji. Neji was her best friend. If he knew that she was planning on going out and getting permission to kill Sasuke, he would only try to stop her. He would spout out words that revolved around _that_ promise. She hated it when he spoke about _that_ promise. It didn't mean anything to her. Not anymore. Her feet began to walk even faster. "I have to go. Goodbye, Neji."

Before Neji could ask anything, Tukiko used her chakra to speed home. She left him standing in the street, confused and worried.

Tukiko sped her way effortlessly towards her tent. She didn't want to do this, but she was going to have to if she wanted to talk to Danzo. Since Danzo was out of the village, she was going to have to go to the Land of Iron herself. This she didn't look forward to. She wasn't sure if she could make it with her current condition. She was going to have to grin and bear it until she arrived there. It might take a few days but it was going to be worth the risk. She hoped.

She arrived at her tent and immediately began to grab all of her things. She got out her mission bag and started to throw any of the things she would need. She put in a few weapon scrolls, provisions, a first-aid kit, and a few extra clothes. After she got that packed, she threw off her current clothes and put on the clothes she got from Granny Cat. As she was putting on the obi, she made sure to strap on her chakra-blade katana. After all of that was on, Tukiko went over to a mirror in order to tie in her hitai-ate. When she did so, she regretted ever looking into the mirror.

Her reflection showed a pale, delicate heart-shaped face. Her short haircut was styled in the usual stuck up style it was before when she was thirteen, albeit a few bangs had grown over her eyes and forehead so it was no longer parted. A scowl was on her face. And her eyes, those dark, silvery-hued eyes...They looked so sad...so desperate. Yet at the same time, they were so determined. Determined to right any of the wrongs that have happened in the past.

Tukiko turned her eyes away from the mirror. She couldn't bare to look at it any longer. That face would only remind her of Sasuke. Her twin brother Sasuke, who was apart of the Akatsuki. She sighed, tying her hitai-ate around her neck. She couldn't put it on her forehead since the bangs only covered it and her hair was too short now to even put it like Sakura's. So she could only tie it around her neck. After all of these things were done and over with, Tukiko slung her bag onto her shoulders. Then she grabbed her black cloak. She knew from experience that the Land of Iron was very cold during this time of year. She snapped the cloak into place. She was ready to leave, except for one thing.

She went over to the temporary dresser where some of her belongings lay. Next to her books lay her Swallow mask from when she was an ANBU. She snatched that up and turned to head out the door. She pulled the mask onto her face. She needed to cover her identity for now. If people knew she looked like Sasuke she could get killed before she even reached the Land of Iron. Her mask was her identity for now. The cool porcelain touched her face gently, caressing her skin. She couldn't help but smile. It was like an old friend had returned to her. Her mask was her only link to her ever being in the ANBU. It could also be the only ticket to get safely to Danzo.

With her mask in place, Tukiko pulled on her hood so that her hair was covered. Only her mask was the thing seen. She walked out of the tent not as Tukiko Uchiha, but as the Bloody Swallow once again.


	22. Iron country

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Only the Bloody Swallow herself!

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 22

It's been a day since Tukiko left Konoha. She was able to get out of the village easily since everyone was so busy. No one would notice she was gone for now. Right now, she was running at full speed towards the Land of Iron. The Land of Iron was not very far away from the Land of Fire. It rested in between all the other countries. Out of all of them, this was the only country that was neutral to ninjas. (A/N: Hey! Reminds me of World War 1! The Land of Iron's like Belgium! It's neutral to all the warring European countries!) It was the perfect place to hold the Five Kage meeting. The leader there was not biased to any of the countries so he could justfully give out his decisions.

_The Land of Iron...Man, I hate going there._ Tukiko shivered at the thought of going back there. She didn't really like it there. Not only was it cold there, there were samurai there instead of ninjas. Samurai! She didn't have anything against the samurai but she just didn't like it there. Once she visited there when she was eight. The leader, Mifune, found her there in the cold and took her in. When Tukiko was taken in, she learned that he was the general of the samurai. She knew that samurai didn't like ninjas very much. A few days into staying with Mifune, he saw that she had great skill and signed her up to study with the samurai trainees without her consent. Being so nice, she couldn't say no once it was done. So she had to learn the ways of the samurai with samurai-trainees. To say that Tukiko was uncomfortable learning this was an understatement. She never got the chance to tell Mifune that she was actually a ninja-in-training. While learning the ways of the samurai, she felt strange being a ninja-in-training learning how to be a samurai. She actually did fine when learning this. She was able to hone her sword-fighting skills as well as learn how to use chakra into her blade. However, a few weeks later she was discovered as being a ninja (ninja-in-training, she argued). She was chased from the country and unfortunately, into the hands of Orochimaru. _I'm going to die if I go there. But I need to!_

She was going to have to overcome her slight fear of getting killed to speak to Danzo. She had to do this.

Tukiko was still running when she suddenly sensed a chakra prescence nearby. She skidded across the ground in order to slide down to her side. As she dropped to the ground, kunai whizzed by her head. She rolled onto her feet, pulling out kunai. She threw them into the forest trees only to hear metal meeting metal. Her kunai fell to the ground as a group three of men appeared in front of her. They all had masks on their faces but by how they were dressed, they were from the Village of the Grass.

One of them, whose mask had a red swirl across the mouth, chuckled. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? It's a Konoha ANBU."

One of the men, who had a plain white mask with horns on the forehead, seemed to study her. Then he laughed. "Hey. It's the Bloody Swallow of Konoha!"

"Isn't that right?" Another chuckled.

The first one chuckled again, pulling out a sword. "You're going to die here, Swallow. You killed too many of our comrades. We'll be famous for killing _the _Bloody Swallow!"

The group of men attacked. They charged at Tukiko with blades in hand. Tukiko activated her Sharingan. "I don't have time for this!" she growled. She took out her own sword and parried each of their attacks. Tukiko wanted this to end quickly. She decided not to hold back.

She kicked the one with horns in the chest while grabbing the hilt of his blade. As that one was sent flying, another replaced him. Tukiko threw the sword in his direction for the blade to meet his chest. Blood flew from the wound and he was dead before he hit the ground.

"You bitch! I'll kill you!" The first one started to make hand seals for a jutsu. One minute he was glaring at Tukiko a few feet away. The next, she closed the distance between them with her hand sticking out of his ribcage behind him. He slumped to the ground dead.

Tukiko pulled her hand out of the dead man's chest and glanced over to the only one left. He was rooted on his spot, frozen in fear. She almost felt bad that he watched his comrades die by her hand. Then she decided to kill him to not live with the guilt. She was a blur as she appeared behind him and stuck her blade into his heart. He gasped in shock before he became motionless.

_Why do they always think they can kill me for fame?_ Tukiko sighed. She wiped the blood off her blade on the man's clothes. She sheathed it before continuing on. _I mean, _I'm_ pregnant and yet they still can't kill me._

Being two months into her pregnancy, her stamina was starting to slowly deteroriate. Doing any physical work exhausted her within a few hours. On missions, she could go for days. Now she could only do a few hours. She had to take several short breaks in order to get to the meeting on time. Even now as she ran, she was getting tired. Fighting those men didn't help. She had to hurry before she was ambushed yet again.

Luckily for her, no one attacked her. She was able to smoothly keep running with a few breaks every now and then.

Two hours later into her running, the environment around Tukiko began to change. The evergreen forests began to morph into pine trees fit for winter. The dirt turned into a snowy white and her feet crunch in rhythm to her beating heart. As she breathed, puffs of air escaped from her mouth and out from under her mask. She was getting closer. Her footsteps made tracks on the ground, though she didn't care. She just needed to get there.

A few minutes later, Tukiko spotted something out in the distance. She paused, breathing heavily. Out in front of her she saw a large rock pattern. There were these three rocks that looked like horns and they faced outwards. Snow covered the tops of the rocks with stalagtites hanging down. She knew this place. It was the landmark of Iron country. This was also the place where behind the rock formation there was the large building where the meeting would be held.

"Great. I'm almost...there," she huffed out. Tukiko was so tired. She felt like she would faint right now and she willed herself not to. She was almost there. She groaned and forced her feet to keep running towards the meeting hall.

It didn't take very long before she got to the mountain itself. She hid in the shadows, debating where she should enter when she felt a chakra prescenece again. Looking around, she held her breath when seeing dozens of samurai soldiers around the perimeter. She cursed as one of them came her way. She ran to the left, crouching low as to not be caught.

_Damn! They must be tightening security for the meeting,_ Tukiko cursed. She began to silently sneak her way towards the building in the back cautiously. She hid in the shadows and any hiding location she could get to. A few times, she had to drop onto the ground onto her stomach. This was uncomfortable as her abdomen stung as she dropped to the ground. When the guards were out of sight, she jumped back onto her feet. Her hand was on her semi-flat stomach. _I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm risking my own child's life for this stupid thing! But I have to do this. Please dear god, let my child live through this dilema._

It took Tukiko awhile to actually get into the building. There were too many guards around. She had to try and find an opening to get through. If she did, she would have even more trouble since there would be even more guards in that direction. She sometimes had to climb up the walls and sneak past them. However, she also made sure to stay near the guards. If there were more guards in one general direction than the other, that meant the guards were staying near the meeting room where the Hokages were. The more guards there were, she followed that direction. It seemed like the perfect plan until she hit a snag.

Tukiko was hanging upside down on the ceiling and jogging around silently when she found four pairs of guards standing in front of a wooden double door. She stared at the door and she could hear yelling. She grimaced.

_That must be the place. But how do I get inside?_

This was the single question she was having trouble with now. This door could be the only location into the room and it was too heavily guarded. Then she realized something. The building was partially underground and the meeting room stood in the center of the building. That meant there had to be a ventaliation system in order to get the air to circulate correctly with that many people in one room. Her eyes searched around for a possible air vent. She glanced around at the walls in front of her and spotted a smallish grey vent among the wood panels of the walls.

_Bingo!_ Tukiko crept over to the opening and tried to slip the lid carefully up. It gave a small squeak but it was covered when a guard coughed. She glanced down at them before studying the vent. It looked kind of small but not too small enough for a human body to fit inside. She could probably squeeze through. And that's what she did. She made sure to not let the chakra flow in her feet stop until she crawled into the vent (Kinda like Spider-man!). She let it go when she crawled into the vent. With her foot, she stopped the lid from making a loud noise by gently setting it down. Once that was done, she army-crawled into the small tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, there was a slight light as well as five or six voices talking. She kept crawling until she got near the end. Then she slowed down. Now near the hole, she could see that the light was peeking out from under some sort cloth. It looked like a banner ro something. She lifted up a hand and brushed the cloth back slightly.

Now that the cloth-which was a banner-was out of the way, she could see some of the room. She could see that the room she was looking at was very large like she thought it was. It also had a high ceiling where five large banners were hanging from. Down below, Tukiko could see a second level where it was a balcony. In that balcony stood ten people. She couldn't see their faces due to their backs turned to her. On the first level, there was a U-shaped table that stood in front of the banners and five chairs. In those chairs sat the Five Kages. All five of them she knew well, but she could see that Danzo and one of her friends, Gaara, was sitting there. In front of the U-shaped table there was another regular table that sat an old man with black hair and a long beard. He had a stern expression on his face. Behind him stood two more people who looked to be his advisors.

Some of the Kages were talking so it looked like they weren't paying attention. They were probably too busy fighting with each other, she thought. Seeing that they were busy, Tukiko decided to come down. She earlier spotted another balcony right under her banner so that she could hide. She was going to wait until after the meeting to speak to Danzo. With the banner obscuring her vision again, she pulled herself from the vent and made sure her feet were coming out first. She slipped her feet downards until she felt her legs leave the vent. She let her body fall after that. Her feet landed on the balcony with a silent _thump!_ Once she safely landed, she crouched low from the balcony wall and snuck out from under the banner. She found a location where she could hear all of the Kages speaking clearly and crouched low. She leaned against the balcony wall so that her eyes were the only things that could see. Also, her whole weight was against the wall so that she wouldn't fall backwards. She listened to the conversation below very carefully.

"Kirigakure, you are the most suspicous!" a gruff voice accused. Tukiko looked in the direction of the voice to see it was a large man with white hair pulled back and very tan skin. His eyes were glaring at a beautiful woman with russet-red hair and green eyes. The man was the Raikage and he was accusing the Mizukage. "You have no diplomatic relations with other countries and there are rumors that Akatsuki was formed there!"

The woman, the Mizukage, didn't know how to react to that. Her eyes glanced down in shame. "To tell you the truth, there were suspicions that my predecessor, the fourth Mizukage, was being controlled by someone," she responded. "It could have been Akatsuki, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." She sounded so unsure and nervous. Tukiko could almost relate to her.

The Raikage didn't seem to like that answer.

"Watch your tongue, Raikage!" An old, short man scolded. He looked like the type to be like a stict grandfather. "It's because you were continuing to amass power and techniques during this time of diarrament that other countries were forced to hire Akatsuki in the first place!"

"What?" The Raikage yelled in outrage. He glared at the old man, who was the Tsuchikage.

"Before this devolves into more infighting, there's something I wanted to tell you all," Danzo calmly said.

"What is it?" the Raikage snapped.

Danzo had a dark, dreading look. "Akatsuki's leader is almsot certainly Madara Uchiha."

The four other Kages gasped in shock. Tukiko had to bite her lip. She already knew that Madara Uchiha was the Akatsuki leader by Itachi's letters from when she was thirteen.

"I thought he was long since dead?" The Tsuchikage incredulously asked.

"I don't understand it either," Danzo admitted. "But our source is certain."

"I never imagined he was literally a monster."

"As a neutral country," the man with black hair, Mifune, spoke up, "I have to say, the leader of Akatsuki read the signs of the times. He used the stability and the suspicion of the other countries to increase his own power. At this rate, even the Land of Iron. But there's always a silver linging. It's rare for the five Kages to come together like this. What do you say? Until Akatsuki is taken care of, what would you think of forming a five-village alliance?"

Tukiko gave a silent gasp. A five-village alliance? That's never been heard of!

"Alliance?" The Raikage questioned with uncertainty. It was no wonder he was. The five villages didn't even trust each other in the first place. How could an alliance work out?

"It's a good idea. We're in a state of emergency. We have to cooperate," Danzo agreed.

"The chain of command should be uniform. We want to avoid any further confusion," Mifune suggested.

"But the question is who will have authority over this new army?" the Tsuchikage asked.

Mifune frowned. "You will only fight amonst yourselves. So I would like you to respect my position as a neutral party. I will decide who among you is best suited for the job. Since the only host left is the Kyuubi of Konoha, I think it will be best. What do you say? Will you allow the Hokage to lead the alliance?"

"What?" Both the Raikage and Tukiko shouted in shock. Since the Raikage was so loud, Tukiko's voice was drowned out.

Tukiko gripped the wooden railing in front of her tightly. Danzo? The leader of the Alliance army! Did Mifune realize how bad of an idea that was to have Danzo as the leader? It was a catostrophe! Danzo being Hokage was bad enough, but this...?

"Why him! He is the embodiment of the darkness in the ninja world! We can't trust him!" The Raikage protested. Tukiko wholeheartedly agreed with him.

"Then who do you suggest do it?" Mifune challenged, staring at the Raikage critically.

"No one from our village is involved with the Akatsuki! I am the only one trustworthy enough to-"

"I do not agree."

"What?"

Mifune lifted up a silent hand to point at something in front of the Raikage. Tukiko tilted her head enough to see that the front table in front of him was completely shattered until pieces. Tukiko knew that the Raikage did that. She always knew that his emotions controlled his actions.

"It's true that some amount of emotion and power is necessary to lead so many strong warriors, bu someone like you who lets his emotions control him will destroy the alliance as surely as you destroyed that table." The Raikage growled at that. "I am simply offering my suggestion as a neutral party. The Kazekage is too young to lead as other countries cannont even adress him as the Kazekage. The Tsuchikage, on the other hand is too old and is seen as having mobility problems. Furthermore, he has been used by Akatsuki too many times. He is the least trustworthy. Kirigakure is the seat of Akatsuki. If the Mizukage were in charge, there would be worries about information leaks. There would be concerns about spies, too. I don't knopw what Akatsuki plans with the tailed beasts, but we can't let them have the Kyuubi. And the Kyuubi belongs to Konoha. It's only right that the Hokage should undertake this."

"I refuse to be part of any alliance that would require my village to reveal it's intentions!"

Tukiko bit her lips. Ugh! None of this was going anywhere! All of them were just arguing and arguing while everybody else was preparing to fight against the Akatsuki! The world was in danger and all they could do is sit and argue over who gets to be the leader? She didn't want Danzo to be the leader of alliance army either but what choice did they have? There wasn't anyone else capable of doing it right now. If only Madara Uchiha hadn't started all of this because he was bent on war. It just wasn't fair.

She was brought out of her thoughts when someone jumped down to land behind the Mizukage. This man had light hiar that spiked up. A black eyepatched was covering his right eye. "Hokage, let me see beneath your bandages," he ordered.

Everyone else was confused.

"What's going on?" the Tsuchikage voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Apparently his right eye was stolen from Shisui Uchiha and implanted in," the man, explained. "Shisui had the power to get into his opponent's mind and control them. It's one of the most powerful eye techniques! His opponents wouldn't even realize they were being controlled."

The Raikage came into realization. "Hokage...Are you controlling Mifune!"

Mifune looked shocked as well.

"My right eye is a souvenir of my battle with a Hyuuga," the man continued. "So can't judge you on that account. Bu my right eye saw through the illusion placed on the fourt Mizukage, so you can't fool me. And-"

"You bastard!" the Raikage yelled. He almost stood to his feet when there was a loud sound.

There was suddenly a loud snap. Tukiko wondered where the snap came from until she found herself falling forward. Her eyes widened considerably as she found herself falling down from the from the third floor balcony to the first level. Apparently, she was so intent on hearing that Danzo carried the eye of her dear older cousin Shisui that she leaned heavily on the wooden railing and it broke from under her weight. Her eyes widened and she gave a short scream. She turned her body just enough so she wouldn't hit her stomach and she crashed into the person that was below her balcony: Gaara. She ended up landing in his lap with her body turned towards him. Gaara accidentantly caught her in surprise.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" Tukiko complained. That was a rough landing considering she landed in a person's lap. Her whole side hurt. She ignored the pain and suddenly noticed what had just happened. She snapped her head up to see Gaara's surprised sea-green eyes. Then she whirled her head around to see that everyone was staring at her in surprise. She paled under her mask. "Oh, shit. I landed in on the wrong moment."


	23. Asking

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Just the Great Tukiko Uchiha! Well, clusmy's more the word.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 23

_"Oh, shit. I landed in on the wrong moment."_

The moment Tukiko uttered those words, she suddenly found herself surrounded by ten guards of the Five Kages. They reacted way too fast for Tukiko's comfort and were dangerously close. All of them were pointing their weapons at her. She paled even more under her mask. Oh, shit. She was so going to die. If this were another time, she could take them all on. However, she couldn't right now due to her child sucking all of her energy out of her.

"Who are you!" The Raikage demanded, rushing over to stand behind two Kumo guards. They were his guards.

"Um..Um..." Tukiko had no idea what to say. She was suddenly so nervous! This was really bad. What was she thinking when she snuck into this room! Didn't she realize that there were not only the samurai general in the room along with a few samurai guards, but there were also five of the strongest ninjas in the Nations along with their own two guards they brought along! This was suicide! She was going to die _again!_ She didn't want to die _again!_

Tukiko didn't know what to do or say when she noticed that her mask was still on. She almost smacked herself. No wonder! Her mask was on so it was obscuring her face! That explained why Gaara wasn't saying anything. She immidiately got off of Gaara and the guards all almost attacked when Tukiko put her hands up in defense.

"Wait a minute! Don't get too hasty right now!" she pleaded.

"Why shouldn't we? Just who the hell are you!" demanded the Raikage again.

Tukiko decided to reveal herself. Maybe her appearance would make them stop. She lifted up a hand to her head. She clutched onto the hood of her cloak and pulled it down. When she slid it down, her black spikey hair stuck up again. All of them were confused at the black hair. Then she lifted a hand to her bird-like mask and took it off her face. Her head was hanging down as she took the mask off. She held her mask in one hand. Then she slowly lifted up her head as she used her other hand to brush back her bangs. With her silver-hued eyes, she could see that some people were surprised at her. The others were confused. The one who were surprised was Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Danzo, and the Raikage. She pulled the corners of her lips into a nervous smile and waved.

"Um...hi?"

Temari and Kankuro lowered their weapons in shock, gaping at her.

"S-Swallow? Wh-What are you doing here?" Temari sputtered.

"And what happened to your hair? And your eyes? What, did your hair get caught in wild scissor attack?" Kankuro asked, eyeing her hairstlye and eyes. "And why the hell can you _talk_ again?"

"Oh, you're one to talk, Kankuro. Did you walk into a make-up factory and they decided to dress you up as a clown? Or did paint just explode in your face and magically align themselves like that?" Tukiko sneered back. She and Kankuro always insulted each other whenever they saw each other. It happened ever since Kankuro made that 'cat got your tongue' joke when they first visited her in the hospital when she was thirteen. She didn't like that comment and insulted his face paint. These insults were more like greetings for the two of them.

Kankuro glared at her. "Oh, shut up, Uchiha."

"Uchiha!" The Raikage quickly studied Tukiko's face before he started growling. "You...You're the one who took Killer Bee and sent him away to die! I'll kill you!" He almost charged at Tukiko when Gaara came in between them. He put one hand behind him to protect Tukiko while his sand rose up to stop him. The Raikage halted in his steps, glaring daggers at Gaara. "So you're siding with the Akatsuki too, huh? I knew it!"

"You are wrong," Gaara said.

"Wrong? How am I wrong! There's only one person who matches the description my ninjas said when they spotted that damn Uchiha! And that's him!"

"Other than his twin sister."

The Raikage lowered his fist. "Twin sister? That's a lie!"

Gaara shook his head. "No. It is not a lie. Sasuke Uchiha does have a twin sister, the woman that stands behind me. Although she may look like Sasuke Uchiha, she is not him. They only look alike because they are identical twins."

"He is correct. That woman that stands behind the Kazekage is indeed one of my men, Tukiko Uchiha," Danzo agreed. He scowled at her. Tukiko noticed and hid behind Gaara. He sounded like he was ashamed to know her. She wouldn't have cared but in a room with all the five kages were, she did.

"Tukiko Uchiha?" the other two kages and Mifune chimed in surprise. The Raikage was even surprised to hear that name because he dropped his fighting stance completely.

"No way! Is that really Tukiko Uchiha?" a large man with an Iwa hitai-ate asked from behind the Tsuchikage.

Tukiko peeked over Gaara's shoulder and gave a small smile in the Tsuchikage's direction. "Tsuchikage-sama, Akatsuchi, Kurotsuchi. It's nice to see you guys again."

Gaara looked over his shoulder, dropping the sand defense. He raised an eyebrow at them. "Tukiko, do you know the Tsuchikage?"

"Know them? I _lived_ in his village! Gaara, remember when I first told you that I traveled around the Shinobi nations to train my skills?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, I wasn't lying. I wasn't kidding when I said that I lived in Iwa, Kumo, and Mizu along with some few other places including here. The only place I didn't visit was Suna because they were allies with Konoha, where I didn't want to return to."

"Hmph. I remember now," the man, who Tukiko knew as Ao, muttered. "She was an annoying little brat. She would never stop learning new jutsus and never stood still. She was too secretive as well. Hell, we didn't even know she was a girl until she took off her clothes to play in the river! And she hid her last name from us until Mizukage-sama found out. I said we should've killed her for learning our jutsus but-"

"Ao, that's enough," the Mizukage, Mei, ordered. She sent a gentle smile in Tukiko's direction. "Well, Tukiko, I see that you're doing fine. We haven't seen you since you came to our village nine years ago."

Tukiko laughed nervously. "Oh, I'm fine, Mizukage-sama. I've been really busy, you know, trying to survive for being mistaken from my twin brother, who happens to be an international criminal now. Other than that, I've been doing fine."

"Tch. I should've known that Sasuke Uchiha would be related to _you,_" the Raikage sneered. "No wonder I don't even like the name Uchiha."

"Hey! Bee and Yugito liked me. Some of your other ninjs kinda liked me too," she argued.

"Yeah, until you pissed off Yugito over fucking _sushi_ and she almost destroyed our village to try and catch you!"

"Well, that wasn't my fault! She had a temper, you know! It wasn't my fault that she just _left_ her food out in the open!"

"She _always_ left her food out in the open!"

"That's so not true-"

"Enough!" Mifune ordered. Both Tukiko and the Raikage stopped bickering like little kids. Mifune gave Tukiko a scrutinizing glare. "Tukiko Uchiha, how dare you return to this place after you gained secrets to being a samurai. If it were not for the five Kages here, you would be immidiately killed."

"Mifune-sama, look, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you," Tukiko immidiately apologized. "But you just signed me up to be a samurai so suddenly when you didn't even ask me. I didn't tell you because once you told me, my morales were to never turn down an offer even when I didn't like it when I was younger so I couldn't say no. I was afraid to tell you after so I just went along with it. I didn't give out any of your secrets also. I honor things such as that and have not told anyone about this."

"How do I know if you speak the truth?"

Tukiko sighed in frustration and raced her hand. She stared seriously at Mifune. "I swear on the graves of my entire family, I have not told anyone anything about secrets of the samurai. If I'm swearing on my entire _family's_ graves, that means I'm dead serious."

Mifune looked like he knew that she was serious and gave a firm nod.

"Wait, wait, wait! Lemme get this straight." Kankuro pointed at Tukiko with a single finger. "Tukiko has met and befriended all of the leaders of the Hidden villages?

"Duh, Kankuro. Do you not see us discussing how they all know me?" Tukiko asked, giving an Are-you-stupid? look to him.

"Doesn't that mean you have international relations?"

Tukiko titled her head in thought for a second. She never thought about it like that. She nodded. "I guess. I know a lot of people so I think I do." She shrugged. "How ironic. Sasuke's the one that everyone hates and wants to kill while _I'm_ the one that everyone likes and partially wants to kill. How strange."

"Tukiko, what exactly are you here for?" Temari asked, getting to the question everyone wanted to know.

Tukiko blinked at Temari before she remembered why she was here. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. I came to speak to Danzo-sama about something very important."

"Is it something so important that you had to barge in like this?"

"I fell, okay? I was planning on waiting until after the meeting but I fell." Tukiko walked past all of the guards and the Raikage towards Danzo. Once she stood in front of him, as he scowled at her, she bowed low at the waist. "Please, Hokage-sama. I ask that you take the kill on sight order off of Sasuke."

"Great, another one asking to not kill the Uchiha," the Raikage growled.

Danzo gave her a blank look. "No."

"I'm not finished." Tukiko stood up straight and looked emotionless. "I ask that you retract that order because...I ask that _I_ be the one to kill the traitor, Sasuke Uchiha."

"What?" Temari and Kankuro shouted. Gaara only stared at Tukiko, who still held the emotionless mask on her face.

Danzo actually looked surprised for once. "You would like to kill Sasuke Uchiha?"

She gave a curt nod. "Sasuke is apart of my clan and since I am one of the last living ones, it would only be fair if I were to be the one to punish him." She let one emotion slip through. She bit her lip and wringed her hands inside her cloak. "I realize that I can no longer just stand by and watch Sasuke try to destroy the nations and work with the Akatsuki. I've been putting it off, thinking that he would stop and come around...Due to recent circumstances, I can no longer let Sasuke do as he pleased. I ask that I kill him myself. He can't fight against me and it would be an easy kill."

"No," Danzo stated.

"What? Why not? I'm the best assassin that Konoha has and-"

"No, Uchiha." He had a stern look on his face. "You are an Uchiha yourself. If you were to fight against your brother yourself, who's the say that you would decide not to kill him at the last second? You would only jeopordize yourself. Konoha can not afford to lose one of its last Uchihas."

Tukiko tried to protest. "Let me kill Sasuke! I won't chicken out at the last minute! I _will_ kill him! It will only be like every other assassination job that I've done!"

"No."

Danzo and Tukiko continued to argue back and forth. The others in the room watched this spat as if watching a tennis match. Tukiko seemed adamant on killing her brother herself while Danzo was just as stubborn. He obviously didn't want Konoha to lose its only Uchiha left. Most of the people in the room were all for Tukiko killing Sasuke. It only seemed fair. However, one person didn't.

Gaara watched Tukiko try so desperately try to convince Danzo to let her kill Sasuke. He saw how her eyes scrunched up as if she were going to cry and the easily disguised distress in her voice. He could tell that she was hurting as she kept asking to kill Sasuke. Like Neji, he could easily tell when Tukiko was sad and afraid behind her mask. Her new red-silver hued eyes had disguised unshed tears behind them. Gaara knew how much this was hurting her to ask permission to kill. He knew how much this was hurting her because this was going against her promise with Sasuke. She told him about _that_ promise and how much it meant to the both of them. As long as he's seen Sasuke and Tukiko together, he's never actually seen the two go against the promise except for friendly sparring. To have to go against this promise because of everything going on must have been hurting her. She must have been so distressed that she was close to letting her eyes bleed red and black.

"Please! Let me kill Sasuke! I'll kill him and burn his body into ash! Let me kill him!" Tukiko yelled, getting even more distressed than she already was.

Danzo was about to answer no when he noticed something and heard a voice. Tukiko noticed it as well and turned around.

"Helllllloooooo!" Something white and with half a face popped out of the ground in the center of the U-shaped table. Tukiko didn't know what it was, but everyone tensed up. "Sasuke Uchiha is here somewhere. The question is where?"

Tukiko gasped. No way.

_Sasuke's here in the Land of Iron!_

Things were about to get more complicated.

* * *

Hey, sorry if this chapter is short. I was planning on combining it with the next chapter to make it longer and stuff but I don't have time to do that yet. My family is about to go on a trip to Reno and we're about to leave soon. I promise that tomorrow when I get back I'll update the next as soon as I can

Please review!


	24. The twins' promise

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 24

Tukiko bit the inside of her lip, feeling a bit shocked and disoreinted. Sasuke was here in the Land of Iron? What in the world was he doing there? This place was where Five Kages of the Hidden Villagers were meeting. Why would he be here of all places?

When hearing that Sasuke could possibly be here, the Raikage snatched up the throat of the white thing, demanding, "Where is Sasuke Uchiha? Answer me! If you Don't answer now, I won't go easy on you!"

"Oh, fine," said the white thing that resembled half a person. "I'll give you a hint."

However, he stopped speaking when the Raikage tightened his hold on the thing's neck. Its neck fell limp and he lay motionless. The Mizukage noticed this.

"There's no reason to kill him," she said. "If you have captured him you might have been able to get some intel on Akatsuki out of him."

"There's no one in Akatsuki who would betray it," Gaara mentioned. "They're all hard-core."

Tukiko nodded. "He's right. The Akatsuki would rather die than reveal its secrets. Even if they could betray it, they would get killed before they could even reveal any secrets."

"You with the white eye. Keep an eye on Danzo," the Raikage instructed. Ao was surprised when he adressed him. Then the Raikage walked over to a wall and punched it to smithereens. He charged through the hole. "Shi! Darui! Let's go!"

The one called Darui laughed nervously. "Sorry about the wall and the table."

"Hey, Darui. Forget about that. Let's go!" Shi said. He ran after the Raikage through the hole and Darui jumped down from the table to go follow his partner and leader.

The Tsuchikage chuckled. "He always was an unruly child. That hasn't changed since he became the Kage of his village."

"Do you think? I mean, he always did have that bad temper of his." Tukiko sighed. She felt like doing what the Raikage did and go after Sasuke. However, something kept her back. She didn't know why she was listening to that something. She shook her head and took a step towards the hole in the wall when Gaara held his arm out in front of her to stop her. "Gaara, let me through."

"No, Tukiko. I cannot allow you to go out there," said Gaara.

"Why not?"

Gaara turned around to give her a stern look. She recoiled at that look. That look always reminded her of when he was still a mindless killer. That time when he almost killed her always popped up in her head when she saw that look. She snapped her lips shut, trying not to anger him. Gaara did not say anything.

"Calm down. It's not a doujutsu that I can use whenever I like," Danzo was saying to the others about his doujutsu.

"I'll be the one to decide that," said Ao. "You're not the kind of man that can be trusted."

Danzo shook his head. "I cannot believe that a Byakugan was leaked. If there was a traitor within Konoha's Hyuuga, they'd have been killed immediately."

"And you killed Shisui of the Mirage to gain that Sharingan? Are you not a traitor yourself?"

"Hmph. I am not an Uchiha, therefore I need not be called a 'traitor.'"

"Yes, you are !" Tukiko yelled, glaring at Danzo. "That eye belonged to my older cousin, Shisui. He might have been killed by my older brother, Itachi, but that does not give _anyone_ the right to steal his eyes without the clan's permission! I'm the clan leader of the Uchihas, and there was no way I would ever give out my family's eyes to anyone. Especially to you."

Ao nodded in agreement. "Since I know your secret, you're planning on disposing me, aren't you? But don't think it will be that easy to do."

"When that time comes," said the Mizukage in a dark tone, "I'll fight. Since the jutsu that manipulated the fourth Mizukage and that eye power, there is most likely some connection between them."

"Lord Hokage, ninjutsu is strictly forbidden here," Mifune stated with a harsh glare. "You have broken our trust. And to think that even if you didn't play your hand, I would have likely chosen you anyhow."

"The fact that it was only likely was what troubled me," Danzo admitted. "For the sake of protecting the shinobi world, I plan on using whatever means necessary. This world is meant to be united. Just as the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama, once gathered the clans to create a village. This time it is time to gather the villages and unite them into a single shinobi world. Yet, in this meeting, there was no unification into one shinobi world. Nothing changes when we waste time doing things morally. All that leads to is Akatsuki crushing the shinobi world."

"It takes time for dreams to come to fruition," stated the Tsuchikage. "If you rush into things, you won't be able to see your own surroundings and end up failing miserably, which is where you're at right now. Well, that dream is just useless talk, after all."

"Tschikage is right." Tukiko stared at the ground with sad eyes. "I know that you have good intentions for our village, Danzo-sama, but the way you do it isn't right. Your actions all have consequences that lead to distrust and hatred. Hell, I couldn't even trust you or the council when I came back home."

He scowled. "Whether there is trust or not, the consequences are necessary."

Gaara frowned himself. "If that's what the world is, if that's what people are, then there is no futures left for us. Sharing with one another, trusting one another; if we were to stop doing those things, the only thing left in this world would be fear." He stared at Danzo with a hard glare. "Acting wihtout taking into account the ethics of the situation, to the current me, would be akin to accepting that you've given up."

"You sure do express such difficult things quite simply," chortled the Tsuchikage. "Yet, you still know nothing about mangaging a village, kid. If there's anything you'd like to learn from us now, go ahead and ask. As your senpai, we'll be sure to answer everything, right Danzo?" He chuckled.

"What the hell did you say, old man!" Kankuro was about to take a step towards the Iwa leader when he was hit upside the head by Tukiko. He cried out in pain and glared at her. "What the hell was that for, Uchiha!"

"Shut up, Kankuro. He's the head of another village," Tukiko hissed. "You have no idea how scary that man can be if you provoke him too far. He may be old, but he can still kill you."

While they were talking, Gaara was still speaking.

"Then I'd like to ask one thing," Gaara said.

"Of course! I'll answer whatever you'd like to know, youngster."

"When did all of you throw yourselves away?"

The room fell silent, the village leaders staring at Gaara in shock and amusement. Tukiko could have laughed at all of their faces. She merely nodded in approvement. All of these old men, they did not know what they were talking about. They were too stubborn and would stick to what _they_ thought was right for the people. They would stick to old ways. What they didn't know was that the younger generation would always change the way things were for the good or the bad. It kept civilization moving. Gaara may be young, but he was wise beyond his years.

Then came the subject that Tukiko was dreading.

"What should we do, Gaara?" Temari asked her brother. "We aided Konoha in trying to rescue Sasuke Uchiha, but now he's part of Akatsuki."

"We'll fight him, of course," Tukiko answered. "The circumstances back then were different. You were retrieving him from going to Orochimaru, but now everything's changed. As part of Akatsuki, he has to die. And I'm going to be the one to kill him."

"What?" Temari and Kankuro stared at her in shock. "We thought you were just saying that to not let Sasuke die!"

She gave them a strange look. "I wasn't joking. He's going to die by _my_ hands."

"But he's your twin brother!" Temari mentioned.

"He's _not_ my brother!" She bit her lip, looking to the side. "Not anymore, he's not." She sighed and was about to take a step to go out to go to where the fight was occuring but Gaara stepped in her way. She glared at him. "Get out of my way, Gaara."

Gaara shook his head. "I will not allow you to go out there and fight Sasuke Uchiha, Tukiko."

She gave him a challenging stare, putting a hand on her hip. "And why not?"

"Because." He gave her a look of both pity and sympathy. "Your promise to him will be broken if you do."

At the mention of that, she clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut.

"No! I don't care if that's broken! He broke it first! He needs to die!"

"Tukiko." The quiet tone in Gaara's voice made her open her eyes to stare up at him. His sea green eyes stared into her own silvery ones. "Yes, you do care. No matter how much you say you don't care, you do. Are you willing to risk your promise because of this?"

Tukiko couldn't answer that. Gaara was right. She did care about that promise. She cared about it more than anything. She only cared about it was because it was her last connection to Sasuke. Ever since he's changed, this connection-this _bond_-was the very last thing that kept her to Sasuke. If that were to break, she wouldn't know how she could stand any promises she's made to Itachi. She promised Itachi that she would take care of Sasuke for him. She would be breaking two promises if she were to kill him. But she had to. Her heart and mind were at battle with each other, clashing in an armistice. There was no decision made yet.

"Tukiko, I will take care of Sasuke for you," Gaara said, breaking her out of her turmoil. "I'll try to talk to him. You stay here with everyone else."

Her eyes widened. "But Gaara-"

"Don't worry." He gave a gentle smile. He would never smile in public like that so Tukiko knew that he was trying. "I'll see to it that we handle Sasuke Uchiha. I do not want you, one of my closest friends, to be broken for the promise you two have made."

Tukiko wanted to argue with him, but the look in his eyes already spoke his decision. He was sure about it and would not choose another. She sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Do as you like."

Gaara nodded and ran out the hole in the wall. Temari and Kankuro glanced at Tukiko with confused looks before following their youngest brother. Tukiko was alone with the Tsuchikage, the Mizukage, and Danzo.

Tukiko seated herself in the chair that Gaara evacuated, staring at the ground. She gripped her hands, biting her lip. It was not fair. Gaara would be fighting Sasuke for her when she should be the one to. If it weren't for that stupid promise, she would be able to fight. But she could not. There was no way she could break it now that it was made. She even remembered _how_ that promise was made in the first place when she and Sasuke were just children.

_A five year old Tukiko sat under the shade of a tree one summer afternoon. She had her knees pulled to her chest, her head buried in her arms. Sobs wracked her tiny form as she thought of what just happened._

_Just earlier that day, she and Sasuke had their first ever fight. It was practically inconcievable to think that the two adorable twins of the Uchiha clan had gotten into a fight. They never fought with each other as long as they lived so it was pretty startling for the two of them to fight. And over something silly too!_

_Tukiko was sitting by a tree as she had just come home from her noble lessons for the day. Sasuke had gone to town with Itachi to go get some groceries for their mother. She was waiting patiently, reading one of her favorite books, _A Brave story_. Just as she was bookmarking her page, Sasuke came into the backyard. When seeing his sister, he ran over to her, smiling._

_"Hi Kiko-chan!" he chirped in greeting._

_"Hi Sasu-chan." She smiled at him, putting her book to the side. "So where were you?"_

_"Oh, I was in town getting some stuff with Aniki," Sasuke said, sitting by her side. "And you'll never guess what happened! Aniki was starting to get some stuff so he told me it was going to take awhile. So I went over to the park nearby so that I wouldn't be bored while I waited. I was playing in the sandbox when this girl comes up to me! She wasn't like any of the other girls who just giggle or something when they're near me. She got really mad and said that I was playing in _her_ sandbox. I told her that the sandbox belonged to everyone and she got really mad. Then she tried to hit me and I hit her back 'cause I was really mad at her."_

_Tukiko gasped, worrying her brother got hurt. "So what happened?"_

_"I won, of course! I shoved her to the ground and she started crying because her knee got a boo-boo. Then she ran off crying!" Sasuke laughed to which Tukiko frowned. "She was such a crybaby! I can't believe that she started crying over something stupid like that. She was pretty weak, too."_

_"I don't think that was very nice, Sasu-chan," Tukiko scolded her brother. "It's not nice to call people names."_

_Sasuke blinked for a moment. "So? She started the whole thing. I just ended it. She's just weak to go against the great Sasuke Uchiha!"_

_"I don't think she was weak. Actually I think she was brave to stand up to you like that when other girls just giggle at you," Tukiko argued._

_"Well, all girls are weak so I don't really care if they did stand up to me." He shrugged like it was nothing._

_"That's not true! Girls are _not_ weak!"_

_"Are too! They can barely do things!"_

_At this, Tukiko was standing at her feet, glaring down at Sasuke in rage._

_"Are not! They can too do things that boys can do!"_

_Sasuke started to get mad as well as he stood to his feet, glaring at his sister._

_"No, they don't! They can't do anything! They're just a waste of time and they aren't meant to be fighters! They're just weak and annoying!"_

_Sasuke didn't expect this next thing to happen. Tukiko had lunged at Sasuke, punching him in the jaw. Seeing what was happening, he fought back, punching and scratching at Tukiko._

_"Take that back!" Tukiko yelled at him. She scratched at his shoulder hard enough to draw blood. They started to wrestle in the grass, screaming and yelling. "Take back what you said right now!"_

_They continued to fight and tumble, throwing as many punches, biting, and scratches as much to each other. Mikoto and Itachi had heard yelling coming from the backyard and were more than shocked to see the two peaceful siblings kicking and scratching at each other. Surprise passed over them as they rushed over to seperate the two. It took a while because they kept kicking at each other and struggling to get to the other. Finally, Mikoto managed to grab onto Sasuke while Itachi with Tukiko. Both of the children had brusies covering some inches of their bodies and they were glaring at their twin._

_"What is going on with you two?" Mikoto demanded from her youngest children. "You don't usually act like this..."_

_"He (She) started it!" The twins said, pointing accusing fingers at the other while glaring._

_"She just started to attack me!" Sasuke accused her._

_"Tukiko, is this true?" Mikoto asked her daughter._

_"Well, he said that girls are nothing but weak, useless and a waste of time!" Tukiko retorted._

_"They are! Boys can kick girls' butts anytime they want because they're weak!" Sasuke argued._

_"So..." Tukiko's eyes filled with angry/sad tears. "You're saying that I'm weak too?"_

_"Of course you are! You're doing girly things and too weak to do things on your own!"_

_That hurt Tukiko right there. Tears started to flow down as anger and sadness coursed through her. She glared at Sasuke. "You're nothing but a big, fat, arrogant jerk! I hate you!" Then she pulled away from Itachi's slack hand before running away from the backyard. She ran all the way to the training grounds where Itachi taught Sasuke new ninja moves and sat under one of the trees. Then she started to cry which is where she was right now._

That stupid jerk of a boy!_ Tukiko angerily thought, sobs wracking her body. _All he can think about is how girls are weaker than he is any day! I hate him! He's just the same as all the other boys in this stupid village who think girls are weak!

_She hated her brother for saying those mean things about girls. And about what he said to her. He knew that she didn't like doing those girly things because they were required of her. So why did he have to bring that up? Plus, she was not too weak to do things on her own! She was perfectly capable of doing things by herself, too! But why did he have to bring those things up to her and saying she was weak? Hearing that from her own brother hurt._

_Tukiko sat there crying for awhile. An hour soon passed and she still continued to cry. She didn't realize that Sasuke had appeared into the clearing until he said her name._

_"Tukiko-chan?"_

_She stopped crying to look up to see Sasuke standing near her, fidgeting. He had a bandage on his cheek from where Tukiko had scratched him rather roughly and broke skin. He was fidgeting at his spot and Tukiko glared at him._

_"What do you want?" she sniffled, wiping away her tears angerly. "Are you here to tell me I'm being weak for crying like this?"_

_"N-No..." Sasuke bit his lip, his head hung. "I-I just wanted to...to say I'm sorry about all that stuff I said. You know...about calling you weak and stuff. I shouldn't have said that stuff when you were forced to do all of that." Tukiko was surprised when she saw droplets of tears fall from his eyes onto the ground. It was rare for Sasuke to ever cry. "I'm really, really sorry. Please forgive me!"_

_Sasuke was caught off guard when Tukiko suddenly hugged him to the ground. She lay on top of him, crying her eyes out as well._

_"And I'm sorry I hurt you! I don't ever want to fight you! I feel really bad I hurt you, Sasuke."_

_Sasuke pushed Tukiko off of him, wiping away his tears. Tukiko was still sniffling, wiping away her own tears._

_"I don't want to fight you either. You're my sister and I don't like hurting you. Let's promise to never fight each other ever again."_

_"B-But what if we're ninjas and enemies?" Tukiko asked, sniffling. "Are we still going to fight?"_

_He shook his head. "No. We're never ever going to fight each other."_

_"How will we know if we don't want to fight each other?"_

_Sasuke thought for a moment and smiled. "We'll use the word 'chika'. That'll mean we don't want to fight."_

_Tukiko nodded in understandment. She and Sasuke had these words they used as a code to each other. It was like their own language. There were words like, 'laba' which meant, "Are you alright?" and 'daka' which meant, "Shut up." She always used this word when Sasuke wouldn't stop talking. He would always stop when she said it. Having a new word in their vocabulary was great. Even when it meant, "I don't want to fight."_

_He held out his pinkie. "Promise we won't ever fight each other?"_

_Tukiko smiled, easily taking his pinkie and hooking her own on it._

_"Promise."_

_Niether of them wanted to hurt the other. Not even if they were going to be enemy ninjas one day and were going to be forced to fight._

_That sucks!_ Tukiko felt a tear appear in her eye at the thought of that promise. She and Sasuke always made promises that neither of them would ever break. That promise was a major one. To this very day, that promise was still remembered. Tukiko could not go against that. _What am I going to do?_

Suddenly, there was the sound of ripping cloth and the country symbols of the Five villages fell to the groiund. Tukiko snapped out of her thoughts and looked around in shock as Ao said, "They're here!" She did not understand what he meant when one of Danzo's guards said, "Up above!" Everyone in the room glanced upward and stood to their feet. Tukiko gasped in shock. Hanging upside down on the high ceiling was Sasuke. He was glaring at Danzo with his Sharingan eyes.

When seeing Sasuke, Mifune instantly went into action. He jumped up into the air, sword drawn, and slashed at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked with his own sword and they clashed.

Tukiko stared up at the ceiling as their swords clashed, but drew her eyes back down to hear the sound of running feet. She turned to the hole in the wall to see running feet and the whip of clothing. Eyes wide, she looked at where Danzo was supposed to be sitting to see he was not there. Ao noticed the same thing and ran out the hole, yelling to his partner and the Mizukage to stay put.

"Sasuke! Danzo's getting away!" Karin's voice yelled. She entered through one of the room's secret doors. Sasuke dropped down from the ceiling and ordered Karin to follow him as they started to run towards the hole in the wall. Tukiko took a step to go follow them if she had to when something stopped all three of them. A glob of red lava shot out of nowhere and covered the hole. That sealed their ability to leave the room.

Tukiko turned to the Mizukage, knowing she was the one to use that jutsu. She couldn't help but be impressed. "Mizukage-sama, I didn't know that you could make lava like that. I only thought you only had one kekke genkai. That's awesome."

"Why, thank you, Tukiko-chan." The Mizukage smiled at her while wiping her mouth. She turned her smile to Sasuke, checking him out. "Akatsuki violated Kirigakure and made the fourth Mizukage their plaything. But it seems like the Uchiha has some good-looking men. So that is how Tukiko-chan recieved her feminine looks from."

"Mizukage-sama! Don't _flirt_ with him!" Tukiko blushed. This was beyond wierd. The beautiful Mizukage was flirting with her handsome/devil of a brother. That was incredibly awkward as it was. It didn't help that they were in a middle of a crisis.

She sighed. "Such a good-looking man. What a waste." She stood to her feet, looking very sexy and seductive as she did so. "But I'll give you a kiss to remember me by."

_She's not listening to me._ Tukiko sighed, There went the Mizukage. She always did have something for hot guys. It didn't help that she could get any guy she wanted. She did have a guy she wanted, but then they broke it off. It seemed that she still had a problem with that. She rolled her eyes as she pulled out her katana.

"Who the hell do you think you are! An old hag like you has no right to be acting all seductive!" Karin accused. She was incredibly ruffled at the fact of the Mizukage flirting. Then she turned her glare to Tukiko. "And what the hell are you doing here! You just disappeared on us! You know that you made Suigetsu and Juugo worry about you like mother hens again! They wouldn't stop talking about you!"

"Karin." Tukiko glared back at Karin. When Karin saw her silvery-lined eyes, her anger died down. She knew there was something strange about Tukiko, same as Sasuke. But it was a different kind of strange. "Shut up. You can yell at me all you want, but just stay out of my way."

Karin studied Tukiko carefully. She knew there was something weird about her. Then she noticed it. It seemed like there was another chakra connected to hers. She knew what that meant. Her eyes widened before traveling down to Tukiko's stomach. Tukiko followed her eyes and she narrowed them. Karin opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped when the Mizukage shot another glob of lava at Sasuke and her. Karin jumped out of the way in time, but Sasuke held his ground. That was when Tukiko noticed a chakra aura forming around him. It looked like it was forming bones and that shielded him from the attack. Then the Mizukage and Choujuro charged at Sasuke. Choujuro released his sword and slammed Sasuke through the lava. Outside, he crashed into the hallway wall. The Mizukage used the secret door to get into the hallway. Tukiko was about to go after her when feeling a strange ache in her body. Her body did not ache at all, but then it started to. It did not feel like it was her aching. It felt like someone else's. She knew that the ache belonged to Sasuke. Being twins, they could feel what the other felt. It's always been like that.

She felt a tug at her cloak. She looked down to see Karin, frowning at her.

"What, Karin?" Tukiko said in annoyance.

"Why is there a second chakra inside of your body?" she demanded, glaring at her.

She glared down at her. "It's none of your business."

"Of course it's my business! You're Sasuke-kun's sister! I want to know if you really are..." She struggled to say the next word, then said it quietly so that no one but Tukiko could hear her. "Pregnant. You aren't, are you?"

"And what if I am? Just leave it, Karin."

Karin gasped. "You are? But...how? Oh, my god. Sasuke-kun's going to get _so_ mad! He can't kill you if you are!"

"Who cares if he's mad-Wait, what do you mean he 'can't kill me' if I am?" She narrowed her eyes, her Sharingan activating. "What do you know that I don't?"

"W-well..." She averted her eyes from Tukiko's newly formed Sharingan. "Sasuke-kun said he's going to kill you. Why, I don't know. But he is serious about killing you."

She smacked her forehead in frustration. "First he joins the Akatsuki and now this? Why, _why_ does he never think these kinds of things through!"

This was a question that Tukiko wished someone could answer for her. Karin looked like she was about to answer that question when her chakra felt strange. She looked down at herself to see something white popping out of her body. A face started to form to look like that white thing's face from earlier. Tukiko gasped in shock. Her instincts kicked in as her body accidentally sparked blue. Because of the spark, the white things fell off her. She sneered in disgust. That was gross. She glanced around to see that the same thing was occuring with the other occupants in the room.

_It must have been some jutsu that Akatsuki guy did while we weren't paying attention_, Tukiko concluded. The only reason she escaped that was because she instinctively zaps anything that touches or messes with her body in some kind of way. That thing felt like it was sapping her already draining chakra so her chakra went off like it usually does.

All of sudden, there was a crash in the sealed hole in the wall. A transparent hand shot through the wall. From that hole emerge Sasuke. Both Tukiko and Karin noticed that he was in bad shape. Blood ran down one of his eyes and he looked completely exhausted. He turned to their direction, his eyes narrowing when they saw Tukiko.

"You..." He growled. "I'm going to kill you before I even kill Danzo."

"Kill me? Kill Danzo? What the hell for!" She did not understand why Sasuke wanted to kill her. She has done nothing wrong.

"What for? You let me kill Itachi when you knew the truth!" The star pattern in Sasuke's eyes looked at her meanacingly. "You _knew_ about the whole truth about Itachi and you let me kill him! That council of Konoha deserves to be killed by my hands like you will be soon."

She gasped. No...He knew already? He knew the truth about their clan and Itachi's true intentions? He was never supposed to find out.

"Sasuke, you don't understand-"

"I don't understand? I understand everything!" He yelled. "The Konoha council was using Itachi and you went along with them. You let them destroy our whole clan!"

"ANIKI MADE ME NOT SAY ANYTHING, OKAY!" Tukiko screeched, her voice reverbrating throughout the room. A single blood red tear fell down her cheek. Her voice started to crack with sobs. "He made me promise not to tell you."

"Then you should have broke that promise!" Sasuke drew out his katana, charging it with electricity. He slashed at her, but Tukiko did not move. She raised up her arms as a sheild, yelling one word.

"Chika!"

* * *

So there's the chapter I promised. Sorry if its a day late. My brother kept hogging my laptop again after I got home from the trip. I had a fun time in Reno, Nevada. I was staying at a nice hotel that practically had everything. I mean it when I said _everything._ They had a golf course, go karts, this bungee jump thing, a bowling alley, a casino, an arcade, and everything! But there was also this motorcross event going on there. Oh, gosh. The hotel was full of cute guys there. I couldn't stop staring at them. Too bad most of them are older than me and probably in college. Oh, well. That, and I fucking messed up my right hand during bowling with my family. I can't carry a heavy ball so I tried to find the least heaviest, but I couldn't. I have skinny fingers too so I had to be careful not to let the ball slip out of my hands when I pulled the ball back. That resulted in my hand getting messed up. I can't write anything for awhile so I have to type. Goddamnit.

Anyway, hope the chapter was okay. I'm sure that whole flashback thing will explain why Tukiko hasn't fought Sasuke to date. Ever notice why I never wrote out scenes where Sasuke wouldn't fight Tukiko and when they first met? He mentioned _that_ promise? Well, that's what he's talking about. Hope that cleared things up a bit.

Please review!


	25. Wars

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 25

_"Chika!"_

Tukiko squeezed her eyes shut, ready to feel the unforgivable steel that would inevitably kill her. However, she felt no cold blade. She could feel it near her arms, but she couldn't feel it. She wondered why he stopped and opened her eyes. Through the X of her arms, she could see the glint of metal near her arms. It stopped right in front of her. The person who weilded the blade was glaring at her with fiery red eyes. She breathed heavily, not saying anything. He gritted his teeth.

"That damn word. That fucking promise," he growled. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you, regardless of that fucking promise we made."

Tukiko could feel the tears that gathered at her eyes. She bit her lip, lowering her arms. "Because...I'm your twin sister. We're supposed to love each other, not kill each other. Regardless of whatever mistakes we've made, we have to love each other." Blood red tears started to flow down her cheeks. "I keep telling myself that I hate you more than anything and I want to kill you, but...I won't kill you. I can't kill you. Because of that promise we made to each other, I refuse to kill you. That's why I can't kill you. You're my other and if I lost that I would lose myself. So please. Please don't do this to me...To us."

Sasuke paused, as if he was thinking about it. Tukiko desperately wished that he would reconsider what he was doing. Then he scowled.

"Not good enough."

Tukiko gasped, knowing that he was going to kill her. But before he could slice down his sword at her, the Tsuchikage come down from above and used a jutsu that formed a rock cube. Tukiko looked behind her to see that the cube was going to crush the both of them when Sasuke suddenly pushed her out of the way and got hit by the cube. Tukiko landed on her butt, looking at the cube with wide eyes.

_Did...Did Sasuke just save me?_

That didn't make sense! He was about to kill her, and yet he pushed her out of harm's way? What was going on? Tears pushed to her eyes, but she pushed them back as much as she could.

"Tukiko!" Gaara, the Raikage, and their guards climbed through the hole in the wall. Gaara ordered Kankuro to get rid of the white things on everybody else while the Raikage asked where Sasuke was, to which the Tsuchikage replied that he smashed him to smithereens. Gaara rushed to Tukiko's side, seeing her wide eyes. He became concerned. "Tukiko, are you hurt?"

She shook her head. Gaara helped her stand to her feet.

"You killed Sasuke Uchiha? That was my job! How dare you!" the Raikage was yelling at the Tsuchikage.

"You still have your chance. So quit your whining, Raikage," a smooth, baritone voice said out of thin air. Everyone looked up in shock to see a man with an orange, swirly mask and wearing the Akatsuki cloak appear out of thin air. Over his shoulder he carried an out-cold Sasuke. "My name is Madara Uchiha. I'm here to explain something to you. I just want to make that clear.

Tukiko gasped. Madara Uchiha? No...There was no way that the guy who was her fiancé's partner be the guy who ruined everything. She shook her head as everyone wondered what was going on.

"I want to tell you about my goal, the Moon's eyes plan," Tobi-or Madara-said.

Suddenly, the Raikage punched at Tobi and almost made contact. However, his fist merely went through Tobi's face and the Raikage smashed into the ceiling. They both landed back on the ground. That was when Tobi did something freaky. He suddenly sucked Sasuke in his right eye which Tukiko gasped back.

"Hand over Sasuke!" the Raikage demanded.

"First you listen to my explanation," Tobi said. "I may comply depending on your answer."

"Let's be calm about this, Raikage," said the Tsuchikage. "Let's hear what he has to say, and make our decisions then."

Tobi glanced over to Karin and said, "Heal Sasuke up for me." Then he sucked her up.

"Karin!" Tukiko yelled. What did he do to her and Sasuke? Where did they go?

Tobi jumped up to one of the higher levels of the room. "Now, are you willing to listen to me, ladies and gentlemen?"

"Why is it that you seek to win over Sasuke?" Gaara questioned, gripping at Tukiko's arm. She was confused by his question. Win over Sasuke?

"A Sharingan that can activate even Susanoo is a rarity. I wouldn't want to let a nice pair of eyes like that slip through my finess. In fact, I wanted to give him the opportunity to train them up further in combat with the Five Kages. It was I who sent him here. I would have liked to have him weaken you to the point where I could take you hostage as well, but it looked like that was too much to expect."

"Are you insane? Sasuke is going to go blind if he uses the Mangekyou Sharingan!" Tukiko exclaimed. She shivered, remembering the dull ache from earlier she felt from Sasuke. "And that stupid Susanoo...Sasuke felt his whole body ache with pain when he used that technique. Are you trying to kill him?"

"I'm trying to get him up to shape with his Mangekyou, unlike you, Tukiko-chan," he said, sounding amused. He would have looked amused at the sight of Tukiko glaring at him much like Sasuke would. "Oh, you thought no one knew about your Mangekyou, huh? Not even poor little Sasuke-kun knew about it."

"Why you-"

"Tukiko, calm down," Gaara said to her gently. "You can't fight him. Not now, anyway."

She narrowed her eyes, but she made herself calm down. She was so going to kill this guy later on.

"What did you mean by hostage?" Mei asked him seriously. "For what purpose?"

"To make my moon's eyes plan go more smoothly, of course," he said as if it was the easiest explanation in the world.

"I can't believe that Madara Uchiha is really still alive," said the Tsuchikage. "Why is someone of your caliber going about this in such a roundabout manner? As powerful as you are, you should be able to execute any plan without a hitch."

"I would, but I can't. The wound inflicted by the First Hokage, Hashirama, was too great. I am now a mere shell of my former shell."

"So this plan of yours," Shi started to say. "It's to return you to your former strength?"

"Hm...You could say that. But that's not all."

"What are you plotting?" Mifune demanded. "Just what is this moon's eye plan?"

Madara sat down on the edge of the wall he sat on. "I want to take my time explaining this. Why don't you all have a seat?" he said as if this were just a casual conversation.

"He asked what the plan was!" Kankuro said. He paused when Madara held up one finger and wagged it at him. Tukiko looked unsure and looked closer at his face, past the mask. Her eyes widened when seeing a single Sharingan eye. He wasn't lying. He really was Madara Uchiha.

"Everything will become one with me. It will be a perfect union. I will be complete."

They all were shocked. What did that mean?

"Become one? A perfect union? What does that mean?" the Tsuchikage asked what everyone else was thinking.

"An ancient stone tablet has been passed down through the Uchiha clan for generations. Even now, it lies beneath Konoha. Why don't you tell them something about it, Tukiko-chan?" he asked her. That made everyone look at Tukiko.

She bit her lip, wringing her hands. She knew about that stone. Itachi once showed it to her a couple months after Sasuke left and when Deidara wasn't with him. He led her down to the Nanoka shrine where the clan's secret meeting place was underneath a tatami mat inside the shrine. She was amazed by it. Who knew there was a huge meeting place below Konoha? Then Itachi showed her the stone tablet. He told her that she could read it with both her Sharingan and her Mangekyou Sharingan. She did just that and read most of the tablet.

"Well, I only read a big chunk of it," she admitted. "But I know what it's about."

"So what is it about?" Mei asked her.

"It's about...the secrets of the Rikudo Sennin."

"The Sage of the Six paths? He's nothing but a myth," the Tsuchikage sneered.

"He really did exist," Madara insisted. "And he left behind this tablet."

"You changed the subject!" the Raikage burst out in rage. "What does the Rikudo Sennin have do with your plan?"

Madara stared at the Raikage as if he were a child. "Do you know why he became a legend and came to be worshiped as a God by the ninjas? That is the connection between this man and my plan."

"Tukiko-chan," Mei looked at her with curiosity. "You read the tablet, yes? What did it exactly say?"

Tukiko shook her head. "Not all of it. I couldn't read the last part since you need the Rin'negan to read it. But I did catch most of it." She closed her eyes, trying to remember the story she read from the tablet. "Once upon a time, the Rikudo Sennin saved the world from a terrible monster."

"A monster?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah." She opened her eyes to stare at him sadly. "Part of that monster was actually a part of you, Gaara. It's this...fusion, I guess, of all the tailed beasts and possessed the greatest chakras ever seen. It was called the ten tailed beast...the Juubi."

Everyone went wide eyed at the name.

"You're telling me that there's a monster stronger than even the Kyuubi?" Temari exclaimed in a mix of horror and surprise.

"Yeah, I think. Aniki once told me that the nine bijuu were just divisions of the Juubi, separated. The Sage actually did that."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kankuro confessed. "Is that why the Akatsuki was gathering the bijuu?"

"I don't know, Kankuro. All I do know is that the Rikudo Sennin wanted to protect the world so he made this new jutsu. This jutsu is still used today, known as the Host seal system." She frowned, her eyes growing distant as she remembered. "That meant the Rikudo sage himself was the Juubi host. He sealed the Juubi within himself to control it. He was worshipped as a god because of it. I'm not sure what happened next. That's as far as I could read."

"I'll take it from here, Tukiko-chan. Thank you for your assistance," Madara nodded in thanks.

She glared at him. "I didn't tell them because of you. I told them because I wanted to, fucking traitor."

"Love you, too." Gaara had to hold Tukiko back from charging at Madara for saying that. He ignored that and continued the story. "But the Juubi's chakra was too great for the Rikudo Sennin. The seal would break as soon as he died. And it would once again wreak havoc on the land. Knowing this, on his deathbed the Sage used the last of his strength to divide up the Juubi's chakra and dipersed it throughout the land. Then the Juubi's empty body was sealed away and sent to the sky where no one could reach it. There, it became the moon."

"The scale is too huge. How could one man do all of that?" Darui asked.

"Having become the Juubi's host, the Rikudo Sage was already more than human. He was a god."

"I understand that you want to gather the beasts to order to gain their inhuman power," Mifune said. "But what will you do with that power?"

"I will revive the Juubi! And then I will become its host," Madara answered. "With its power I will be able to strengthen my eyes and then I will be able to use a certain jutsu. I will be able to cast an illusion over everyone on Earth! I will control everyone with my Illusion and the world will become one!" Everyone in the room gasped in a mix of horror, surprise, and shock. "A world without ill will or strife. Everyone will be one with me. Everything will be united. That is my Moon's eye plan."

"You're insane!" Tukiko exclaimed. Her eyes began to turn red with the Sharingan. "You think that peace will be achieved if you just put everyone under an illusion? What kind of peace is that! That wouldn't be peace at all!"

"Tukiko's right." Gaara stared up at Madara with cold teal eyes. "Peace under an illusion is not true peace. It's only meaningful if the real world manages to accomplish it."

"What does that hold for us?" Mei questioned. "There's no hope or dreams! That would be an escape!"

"Make the world one?" The Tsuchikage frowned. "Danzo said something similar, but in your case it sounds like you want to make the world yours."

"Smells like world domination all over it," Tukiko sniffed, putting a hand on her hip.

Madara chuckled, which made Tukiko seeth with anger. "And what have you five kages been able to accomplish? You must understand." The aura around him grew dark. "There is no hope! Hope is nothing more than resignation. That is what is not real. Give me the Hachibi and the Kyuubi and cooperate with my plan. If not, there will be war."

"You can forget it, Madara Uchiha!" Tukiko yelled. Her anger was taking over her again, making her eyes turn into her Mangekyou Sharingan. This made him tilt his head in amusement. "You've taken _everything_ I held dear. First my entire family, then my fiancé, then my older brother and now my twin brother! If you expect me to give up two of _my_ friends, then you have some helluva nerve! Everything you say about hope is a fucking lie! Hope is real! It's what keeps us going. To strive through our ambitions and try to achieve them! What kind of world would we live in if hope wasn't alive! Hell, I would be dead if I didn't believe in my hopes to become a kunoichi and keep all I love safe! If you want Naruto and Killer Bee, you'll have to pry it from _all_," she waved a hand to everyone in the room, "of our dead hands!"

"Tukiko's right," Gaara agreed. "We will not let you get your hands on Naruto Uzumaki."

"Same here," Mei nodded. The Tsuchikage did as well with pride.

"You won't have my brother!" the Raikage roared.

"I may not have any power myself, but I have the power of the Bijuu I've gathered." He had an amused voice as if he was smiling. "You don't stand a chance."

Gaara placed a hand on Tukiko's shoulder, nodding at her.

"We won't give up hope."

Madara sighed. "All right then. Consider this a declaration of war. The fourth ninja war begins now."

Everyone gasped yet again. Today was just full of surprises.

"The fourth ninja war?"

"Are you serious!"

"I'm not fool enough to joke around with something like this," he said. He began to be sucked into thin air, his voice saying, "Next time we meet it will be on the battlefield."

Then Madara Uchiha was gone.

The Tsuchikage sighed. "Dear me...What now?"

"We must form a shinobi alliance," Gaara concluded. "There is no other way to oppose the power of the seven Bijuu."

The Raikage frowned.

"I recall that you were against the idea, Raikage-sama?" Mei mentioned.

"It seems...No harm has come to my brother," he answered as calmly as he could. "But I refuse to allow Akatsuki to have their way with us any longer. We form a shinobi alliance and settle this as quickly as possible."

"What of Konoha?" the Tsuchikage questioned. "The Hokage has fled the scene."

"The dark rumours surrounding Danzo are too great. After what he did at this summit, he has lost all of our trust. And if the shinobi of Konoha learn of what happened her, his position in the village will become strained. He will not last long."

"I'll make sure to tell them." Tukiko grinned proudly, putting a hand on her chest. "On my word as a jonin and ex-ANBU of the Fifth Hokage, I swear that I will tell them. I know all of you don't trust me, but I'm well respected in my village. However, I cannot be the one in charge as you all know that I am too young."

"Then who would be?"

"Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan," Gaara suggested.

The Tsuchikage smirked in amusement. "The son of the White Fang?"

The Raikage thought about it and nodded. "Very well. He seems more trustworthy than Danzo, at least."

Tukiko giggled and nudged Kankuro. "Oh, man. Kakashi isn't going to like this. He's being put in charge when he _hates_ that."

Kankuro silently laughed with her. "Yeah, he's going to hate it."

"Raikage-sama, we must make arrangements right away to track down Killer Bee!" Shi suggested urgently. "If Akatsuki's targets are the Hachibi and the Kyuubi, then they must still be pursuing Killer Bee with all their might!"

"Quite! Shii, select a search party at once and contact the village so that they can begin the search at once," Raikage ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"We should let Team Samui know about this right away, too," Darui told Shi. "Omoi and Karui were seriously down about all of this."

Mei nodded. "In order to put a stop to Madara's plan, we must on no account permit him to obtain the Hachibi or Kyuubi. As such, it seems more prudent for our shinobi alliance to locate the Hachibi and Kyuubi before he can do so and hide them away from him."

"Oh, no, no, no." Tukiko shook her head in disapproval. "Mizukage-sama, you obviously don't know Killer Bee or Naruto. They're both...well...They like to be part of the action."

That was mainly true. Bee was this guy who loved to fight most of the time while Naruto himself wanted to help out anyway he can, which was fighting. She swore she wasn't sure how she knew them.

"I agree. The power of the seven Bijuu that Madara has collected is beyond imagining," The Tsuchikage considered. "And he may have some kind of jutsu or other secret plan up his sleeve that makes use of them."

"I doubt he'd be so confident otherwise," Akatsuchi added.

"Should we not count the Hachibi and Kyuubi as a valuable part of our own military forces?"

"Unthinkable. Protecting them is a vital object of this war." Gaara shook his head at the Tsuchikage and Tukiko's hidden proposal of letting them fight. "I suspect the reason Madara has decided to start this war using the seven Bijuu he has collected is because in his current weakened state and with the few Akatsuki members remaining to him, it would be too difficult for him to capture the Hachibi and the Kyuubi. Even if he succeeded, the risks would be too high. He may be thinking of using this war to lure them out."

"Damnit. I hate it when you're right," Tukiko muttered, folding her arms.

Mei and the Raikage agreed with Gaara.

"Considering what it may lead to, we cannot possibly lay the Hachibi and Kyuubi out right before the enemy's eyes!" He sighed. "At any rate, my brother, the Hachibi's jinchuuriki, is not the kind of man to follow any strategies we might prepare. Who knows what he might end up doing? He would only bring chaos to the battlefield."

Gaara and Tukiko glanced at each other. She grimaced.

"I would say the same of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, Naruto."

"Yeah, I gotta agree with Gaara on this one." Tukiko scratched the back of her head. "During the attack on Konoha, I heard Naruto destroyed a good part of the land to try and defeat Pain. It wasn't pretty." She shivered. Naruto sounded scary when people were telling her about that part.

"Very well. Do you accept then, Tsuchikage-sama, that we should consider the Hachibi and Kyuubi targets to be retrieved, restrained, and protected?"

He scowled, nodding. He looked like he didn't wholy agree with it.

"I will share our information on Killer Bee with Iwa, Kiri, Suna, and Konoha villages," said the Raikage. "I suggest search teams be organized and mobilized immediately! Once the Hachibi is found, I suggest you send that information to me. I am prbably the only person whom my brother will actually listen."

"Yeah, right." Tukiko coughed and whistled innocently as she said this.

He sent her a nasty glare to which she smiled at. "And Kazekage, I trust you and the Uchiha girl to handle the task of passing all of this onto Kakashi."

"Yes."

"You can count on us!"

"I met with Kakashi Hatake and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki on the way to the summit," he told them. "They may still be somewhere in the Iron country. We should begin our search for them here."

"Oh, there's no need. I think I can find them," Tukiko informed them.

"Oh, really? How, Uchiha?"

"Easy! Using my summons!" She bit the pad of her thumb and slammed it down on the floor. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A circle appeared around the place where Tukiko slammed her hand down. A puff of smoke emitted. The smoke cleared to reveal a small-sized blue swallow. Around it's neck was a Konoha hitai-ate. The bird looked up at Tukiko with beady eyes.

"What do you need, Tukiko-sama?" it asked her in a childish female voice.

"Chi, I need you to locate Kakashi Hatake for me. He's somewhere in the Iron country. Can you find him?"

The bird, Chi, nodded and flew up to Tukiko's shoulder. "Can do, Tukiko-sama!"

"Good. Now go find him!"

Chi nipped her beak affectinately on Tukiko's ear and flew up towards the ceiling. Then it flew out of the hole in the ceiling and flew off in search of Kakashi.

"Are you sure that bird of yours can find Kakashi?" The Tsuchikage asked in a suspicious tone.

Tukiko gasped, putting a hand on her chest as if that was an insult. "Ouch, Tsuchikage. You don't trust me? Of course Chi can find him! Sure, she's the youngest of my summons, but she can sure as hell track a person down. She's helped me out when I needed help locating my assassination jobs."

He looked skeptical at first, but nodded.

"Good." Tukiko took a step when everything started to turn around and around. Her body began to sway unevenly and she started to fall. By the time that Gaara caught her, she was already out cold. She reached her limit.


	26. Revealing secrets

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 26

Tukiko felt herself regain consiousness through a bearable heavy headache. A stong embrace was what she could feel across her cold skin, hot against her own. Her own ears rang with a static noise but she was able to identify the sounds of footsteps on crunching snow. A feeling told her that she should just keep her eyes closed and breathe deeply as if still sleeping.

"Gaara, why do you think that Tukiko wants to kill her brother?" Temari sounded like she was just beside her head from what she felt of her position.

"Tukiko does not wish to kill Sasuke Uchiha," Gaara quietly said although loud to her own.

"Then what do you call her pleas to Danzo? She was practically begging him to let her kill him!" Kankuro exclaimed by her left; by her feet, she deduced.

Gaara paused. "I do not beleive that," he slowly said. "Tukiko is an honorable person to those she holds close. That includes Sasuke as well. Her heart would never let herself to kill her only living relative left."

"That's insane. Tukiko is the most vicious ANBU that I've ever known. She's also dutiful to her village first before anything else." Temari's words were true in all sense. Tukiko was the exactly like the true Itachi. She put her own village first before her family. "It makes sense that Tukiko would kill her own twin brother if he turned traitor. After all she's the merciless Bloody Swallow of Konoha. She's the top assassin in any other village! She would kill her brother even if it drove her into..." She drifted off, realization gasping into her words. "Oh my... Tukiko's forcing herself to kill Sasuke, isn't she?"

He said nothing else. The silence was enough to tell what he was saying.

Kankuro breathed a sigh. "What is going on inside that girl's head? She should just forget about her brother. He's a lost cause. She and Naruto might never break him out of the darkness he's encased himself in. His attack at the summit was proof enough."

"It's because he's my other half." Tukiko could bear it no longer. She had to finally voice what she thought. She opened her eyes to the swaying motion of Gaara holding her in his arms as he walked. His teal eyes stared down on her hazy ones. Then she shifted her eyes to the side of the perfect snow path set in front of them. "Being twins, we've always been together no matter what's happened. We act like the same person. We came from the same egg, born on the same day, have the same mother...I can't kill Sasuke if that means killing myself."

All of this was something she had to accept. No matter how much she hated it she could't make herself kill her brother. After what happened at the summit and Gaara's words, she realized she couldn't kill him no matter how much she wanted to. Her very being would cease to exist if he were to die by her hand.

The three Suna siblings did not respond to her. Gaara carefully set Tukiko to her feet. Her legs felt weak, but she forced herself to walk. She had to keep moving forward. She only took a few steps when she suddenly wobbled and fell to her knees. Temari and Kankuro were instantly at her side.

"What's wrong with you lately? You fainted once and now you barely have the energy to walk," Kankuro said. He and Temari helped her to her feet.

"I'm...fine. Just tired." Her voice was weak. She scolded herself for that. After traveling for a few days with little breaks and being pregnant, it was a wonder how she lasted that long at the summit. And now that she mentioned it... "I'm hungry," she bluntly stated. "Do you guys have food? I ate the rest of mine before I got to the summit."

"No. You will have to wait until we get to Kakashi in order to get food," Gaara said. He recieved a strange look from Tukiko; she was giving a look that said 'Give me food _now_ before I kill you'. "We are almost near the location where your summoning bird found him."

"How far?"

"About a few minutes away."

Tukikip gave it some thought and nodded.

"Good, because I'm starving."

She quickly walked towards the town that was resting in the distance. The three shared a glance before hurrying to follow the raven haired girl. To their surprise they only caught up to her just as she entered the town and walked down the street to where she was sensing Kakashi, Naruto, and Yamato's chakra signatures. For someone who's fainted and tired she sure moved fast. They were at her side as Tukiko turned a corner of the street where the owners of the chakra signatures were standing. Kakashi, Naruto, and Yamato noticed their arrival.

"Gaara? Tukiko-chan? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, his hand slipping from the doorhandle of the inn it seemed they were staying in.

"We need to tell you something right away. We're going to tell you everything that's happened at the five Kage summit meeting," Temari announced.

The Suna siblings and Tukiko quickly explained what happened. Tukiko pitched in with her side of the story, telling them she had the intentions of asking Danzo letting her kill Sasuke. Naruto already knew this from before she left, but he looked angry and disappointed in her still. She didn't meet his eyes after that.

"I see. I had no idea the summit had turned into such a battle ground, but Danzo..." Yamato trailed off in thought.

Kakashi sighed. "I wasn't really into the whole Hokage thing, but even if I have no choice now. I still have to get back to Konoha and ask what they think.

"Madara said he was going to start a war. This is no time to take things slow," Temari mentioned.

Yamato nodded. "I think everyone will agree. Let's continue as if you were Hokage, Kakashi-senpai."

"Well, I guess you're right. Thanks." He glanced over to Naruto over his shoulder. His eyes were on the ground and he was silent the entire time they were there. This worried Tukiko. She has never seen him like this. Not even when he was mourning Jiraiya. What was wrong with him?

"So about Sasuke. If he attacked the summit..." Yamato trailed off again as if afraid to continue that statement. He turned his eyes to Naruto as well.

"Naruto, just so you know," Gaara suddenly said, "this will be a war to protect the Hachibi and the Kyuubi; in other words, you. For the sake of the ninja world and as Kazekage, I will guard you with my life. If as a member of Akatsuki, Sasuke Uchiha stands in the way of the Ninja coalition. I will show no mercy." Naruto closed his eyes like he's heard this so many times before. "Sasuke doesn't even see you. He longs for his own darkness." This made blue eyes snap open wide. "Naruto...You told me you would become Hokage. I have become Kazekage." Gaara walked over to Naruto and placed an encouraging hand on his shoulder. "If you are to bear the title of the Kage then you must do what you must as Sasuke's friend."

Naruto was stunned too much to respond when Gaara turned away.

"We've said what we came to say. Let's go, Gaara." Temari nodded at Tukiko. "Take care of yourself, Tukiko. I hope that you can learn what your heart wants the most before it gets you killed."

"Yeah, and make sure you don't go fainting all over the place, ya hear?" Kankuro said with a cheeky smile.

"Give it a rest, Kanku-chan. Next time you get an accident expect total torturing from me," Tukiko threatened with a growl.

Kankuro stuck out his tongue childishly at her.

"Tukiko." She turned her attention to Gaara after he said a few words to Naruto. "Try to do what you know is right. Block out what all else say and do what _you_ want to do, not from what everyone else thinks is right."

Tukiko was taken back by his words. Do what she wanted and not what everyone else thought was right? What did that mean? She nodded, still unsure of his words.

With a nod of his head the three Suna siblings disappeared from their sight to return home.

Tukiko stood there in the snow, staring at the fallimg snowflakes. What was going to happen now? Things were spinning wildly out of control by now. Madara Uchiha is alive and leader of the Akatsuki as well as starting a war, everyone else was preparing to go to war, and many, many people were telling her to do the right thing about her twin. Konoha and the rest of the world were saying that Sasuke joined the dark side and should die, Itachi was asking her to save Sasuke from the dark, and Gaara was telling her what she knew was right. There was a problem with that. She didn't know what was right in this world anymore. She used to before this whole mess started but now...She took a deep breath, letting the cold mountain air fill her lungs.

_What a mess_, she thought. _Aniki...Mother...Anyone from our clan, please...tell me if it would be the right thing to kill Sasuke. Send a sign or anything. I'm so confused on what to do. I need your help_.

"What should we do now?" she heard Yamato ask. "I think our first priority should be getting back to Konoha and telling everyone about the summit. But there's Sakura to think about, too."

"What's that about Sakura?" Tukiko asked, looking at the group the moment they said the cherry blossom's name. The group seemed uncertain, glancing at each other. This made Tukiko nervous. "What's wrong with Sakura?"

"Sakura was here a few moments ago and she came to tell Naruto indirectly to stop trying to fulfill his promise to you two three years ago," Kakashi explained, rubbing the back of his head. "All of your friends think that it's time that they got rid of Sasuke. And Sakura's trying to kill Sasuke herself."

"WHAT!" Tukiko yelled. What the hell was Sakura thinking? What were her _friends_ thinking? All of them agreed that they should kill Sasuke? "Oh, so _they_ can agree that killing Sasuke is the best thing to do when _they_ wouldn't even let me kill him? What the hell is Sakura thinking? She's going to get herself killed!"

"She doesn't want Naruto to hurt himself trying to fulfill the one promise that he made and wants to keep," Sai tried to explain. "But he won't let go of the promise so Sakura wants to finish things by herself. Don't worry. I'm with Sakura right now so I won't let her get to Sasuke. So just rest easy."

"Shadow clone?"

Sai nodded.

"But we still ought to go after her and convince her to turn back," Kakashi suggested.

Tukiko sighed. "I'll go get her. I'm probably one of the only people that girl will listen to. If it's me, she'll turn back."

"All right. It's decided. Yamato, I want you and Naruto to head back to Konoha. I'll go after Sakura with Tukiko. She's right about Sakura being unable to beat Sasuke. She's just going to her death. I'll send the dogs on ahead with news of the summit. We have to hurry." Yamato and Tukiko nodded. Now that Kakashi was to act as Hokage they had to obey his word. He poined as Sai. "Sai, I want you to lead us to Sakura."

"All right."

Tukiko felt an empty rumble in her stomach. She almost forgot about that. She pulled on Kakashi's sleeve. "Hey, before we go, mind if I get a quick snack to eat? I'm starving."

"Sure. What are you in the mood for?"

She tapped her chin in thought. She had this weird craving for something. Something...

"Sweet. I'm in the mood for sweets."

This earned her a horrorified look from Kakashi and confused ones from Sai and Yamato. Tukiko had no idea what she said until she noticed their staring.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Tukiko...Did you just say that you wanted...sweets?" Kakashi asked in a stunned tone.

She blinked and realized what she said. "Oh...I guess I did."

"I thought you hated sweets?" Sai asked in a curious tone.

"I do, but I have a horrible craving for it right now."

"Um, Tukiko, I'm not so sure that's a good idea..." Kakashi shuddered at the memory of that one single time she had sweets. That was something he experianced with a thirteen year old Tukiko. Who knew what would happen with a sixteen year old ANBU captain level Tukiko? He trailed off when seeing her lips turn pouty.

"Please, Kakashi-sensei? I promise that I won't go all beserk with all that sugar." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm really tired and that sugar might actually give me an energy boost. I'll need it later."

He studied her when she yawned. There were bags under her eyes and it looked like she hasn't had a wink of sleep in days. He sighed, knowing that she was, to his surprise, right. She needed sugar in her system.

"Fine. I'll get you some chocolate once we-"

He was cut off when Naruto suddenly collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. He clutched at his chest, trying to breath. He fell forward into the snow. Tukiko gasped and rushed to his side.

"Naruto? Naruto! Calm down! Naruto!" Her cries grew more frantic when he stopped moving but was still gasping for air.

"Tukiko, stop!" Kakashi pulled her away from Naruto while Yamato knelt to the ground to pick him up. He slung him over his shoulder and carried him inside the inn. Tukiko wanted to go after him, but Kakashi held her back. "Tukiko, don't worry about Naruto. We need to get going."

"But-But Naruto-"

"Will be fine," he finished. He pushed her to Sai. "Wait here. I'll go get my things and some chocolate for you then we'll head out."

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. She nodded and stood with Sai while Kakashi walked into the inn to get this things.

Tukiko was-to put it bluntly-freaked out. What caused Naruto to start hyperventilating like that? He's never one to panic. Was that a panic attack he just had? Whatever it was, it made Tukiko worried about him.

A few minutes later they were ready to go. They ran out of the town with Sai leading the way to Sakura. Kakashi found some chocolate for Tukiko and gave it to her before running a distance away from her like she was a ticking time bomb. Tukiko wasn't a time bomb, much to their surprise. She took a bite out of the chocolate and chewed on it as they ran. She was running regularly and not freaking out. The chocolate actually gave her the burst of enery she needed from the sugar within. The only downside that Tukiko thought it was too sweet. She'd rather have dark chocolate instead.

"Hey, do you have dark chocolate?" Tukiko asked Kakashi, running beside him.

"No." Kakashi was still staring at her with a shocked eye. She just ate a bar of chocolate and was fine. How was this possible with Tukiko?

She sighed in disappointment. She really wanted that chocolate. What did it taste like, she wondered? She hoped that it wasn't as sweet as the milk chocolate. Oh, well. She'll wait after this to get more. She'll make Sakura get her some for her recklessness.

"Sai, how much farther?"

"Not too far from here. If we keep going straight and there's no trouble, we'll be able to catch up," Sai answered.

Tukiko nodded. "Good. I'll go on ahead to get Sakura. I have a bad feeling she has a back up plan."

Kakashi nodded in agreement and let Tukiko do as she pleased. She ran faster towards the direction Sai pointed out. All she was was a blur among the trees. She was basically as light as a feather as none of her steps disturbed anything. The sugar from the chocolate was helping too. She just hoped it didn't burn out soon. However, she started to slow down when she came upon a strange sight.

She halted in front of Kiba, Akamaru, Lee, and the real Sai lying on the ground, unconsious. She knelt down and shook Kiba's shoulder.

"Kiba? Kiba, wake up."

Kiba stirred for a second and looked up at her with blurry eyes. "Ugh...Tukiko?" he slurred.

"Where's Sakura?" she questioned, not seeing the pink haired girl among them. "She was supposed to go after Sasuke, right? Which way is she?"

"North...two o'clock," Kiba muttered. He could stay awake no longer. His eyes slipped closed again in sleep.

"Damn it," Tukiko cursed. She started to move the three people and one dog out by the trees so they wouldn't get trampled on. "That must have been one heck of a sleeping potion that Sakura made. Damn Tsunade for teaching her!"

She sighed, getting all of them to sleep side-by-side. She started off again, reminding herself to go back and get them after this whole mess was over. If it could be over. All the while, she was worrying about Sakura's safety. Sasuke wasn't himself. She could get hurt for all she knew. Sakura was expecting the same old Sasuke-kun that loved Team 7. That Sasuke was no longer there. Instead, a man bent on killing people replaced that body.

_Damn it! He better not lay one finger on Sakura-chan or I swear I _will_ kill him!_

Sakura was important to her. Tukiko couldn't live knowing that her sister-like figure was killed by her twin brother. She had to hurry.

Tukiko followed directions in a flash. She didn't bother to wait for Kakashi. He could find out on his own. It took only a minute before she found herself on what appeared to be a stone bridge. Or what was left of it. It was nearly destroyed and almost couldn't be called a stone bridge. Focusing closer, she saw Sakura walking towards Sasuke with an injured Karin by his feet. She gasped when seeing that Sakura weilded a kunai and stood over Karin. Sakura was hesitating when Sasuke suddenly charged up a Chidori in his hand and struck at her from behind

"Sakura, no!" she shouted, sprinting out of the safety of the woods. Tukiko boosted chakra into her feet and quickly jumped in between them. She grabbed his wrist to change the direction of his attack. Sasuke was startled by her appearance and did not see the kick aimed at him. He realized it a second too late and skidded back a few feet. Tukiko landed on her feet and withdrew a kunai from her holster. She steadied herself to face off against Sasuke.

"T-Tukiko-chan? What are you doing here?" Sakura stuttered behind her.

"Sakura Haruno, do _not_ ask me what I'm doing here. I am pissed as it is for your reckless actions!" Tukiko hissed harshly at her. Her tongue was sharper than ever. She was irritated and tired. She wanted to lie down and forget all of this, but no. She had to deal with all this crap! "I mean, what were you thinking about facing Sasuke? He's far stronger than you and me put together! If I weren't in my current condition, then yes I might stand a chance but I'm not. Niether are you, idiot. You so owe me two dark chocolate bars for this!"

Sakura flinched back at her harsh tone, but grew confused at the mention of the sweet. "Chocolate? Why chocolate?"

Tukiko shrugged. "I have a craving for them, but that's beside the point! Why are you doing this, Sakura-chan?"

She stared at the ground, unanswering.

Tukiko sighed and patted her shoulder. "Look, I'm not mad. Just concerned. You can tell me after we get through this mess, okay?"

Sakura glanced up at Tukiko's soft eyes and almost teared up. She nodded, sniffling.

"There you are." Kakashi suddenly appeared in front of the two, looking at Sasuke with sadness in his single eye. He spoke to the girls. "Sakura, I'm sorry that I tried to reassure you on that day," he apologized to her. "I guess I was trying to reassure myself. And Tukiko, I'm sorry that I didn't do more to help you reunite you and your brothers. I should've figured there was more to your stories than I suspected. Sorry I haven't been a good sensei."

"Reunite me and my brothers?" Tukiko asked. She didn't know what Kakashi was talking about, but had a feeling he knew something that he shouldn't have known. "Kakashi, you've been a good teacher. I learned so much under your tutalage and you gave me good advice about leading people."

"Yes, but still..." He trailed off, optting for looking at Sasuke who stood there listening to them. "Sasuke, I don't like saying the same thing over and over, but I will tell you one more time." His tone grew harsh like a father's. "Don't become consumed by revenge!"

Tukiko felt the sudden urge to give a bitter laugh. How late was he? Sasuke actually did give a bitter laugh in her place. The three members of Team 7 stared at Sasuke as if he were crazy. Then his laugh died down until he became bitter again.

"Bring me Itachi...and my father...and mother...Bring me my clan! Then I will stop!" Sasuke yelled angerly. This impacted Tukiko in the chest, leaving a horrible guilt build up.

Sasuke knew about what Itachi had to sacrifice to keep them alive. He found out the whole truth like she had, but he was taking this the wrong way. Itachi wanted him to become a hero and live in Konoha. Instead, all he was doing was seeking more revenge. Itachi's plan backfired and left a terrible fate for their brother. Tukiko swallowed the lump in her throat, resisting the urge to cry.

"Kakashi, what now?" she asked, her voice almost cracking.

Kakashi was silent, studying the new Sasuke. Then he spoke. "Sakura...heal that girl until she's able to talk," he ordered her. "There's still time. She knows a lot about the enemy."

"What about you and Tukiko?" Sakura hesitantly asked.

"Sakura." Tukiko manged a weak smile. "Heal Karin for me. Take her with you and get out. I may not like Karin, but I can't let her die like this. I feel like Sasuke tried to kill her, but I can't let her die because of him."

"Tukiko...Kakashi-sensei..."

Kakashi looked over his shoulder and tried to smile.

"We will take the burden from you," he said gently. "It's my duty as your sensei and Tukiko's as your teammate."

Sakura looked like she was about to cry, her eyes switching between her teacher and friend's faces. She reluctantly picked up Karin and got away from where a battle would soon ensue.

"Tukiko, are you up for this?" Kakashi asked, standing to his feet. He removed his cloak to have better mobility and moved his hitai-ate up to reveal his Sharingan.

Tuiko removed her cloak as well and activated her Sharingan. "Yeah. I'm going against everything I believe in, but it's inevitable for me to fight Sasuke at some point. Even if...it means breaking a promise."

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes of crying. She couldn't cry. Not for Sasuke, at least. Not anymore.

"The Sharingan...is the sign of the Uchiha clan," Sasuke muttered angerly. He lashed out and charged at the two. "And you aren't even Uchha, so don't you ever use it around me, you scum!"

Kakashi retailiated and fought hand to hand with Sasuke. Sasuke used a fire jutsu that would have engulfed them if they did not dodge the attack. They did not expect him to run through the flames with a Chidori in hand. Tukiko quickly thought on her feet. She grabbed for her katana and slashed down at him. He realized only a second later that her katana nearly sliced him at the shoulder. He dodged the attack, shifting to the side.

Sasuke growled and his eyes bled into his Mangekyou Sharingan. Around him, a darkish cloak of chakra surrounded him to form a new figure made of fire. A fireball formed on the figure's hand and threw it down at them.

"Kakashi, look out!" Tukiko cried. She grabbed the back of Kakashi's shirt and jumped down to the water below, avoiding the fire. She looked over her shoulder at the bridge to see Sasuke glaring down at her. He too jumped down to the water below.

The figure around Sasuke began to grow more complex. It formed a shield and something that resembled a bow. From that bow, an arrow of fire chakra formed. Tukiko's eyes grew wide as it released the arrow and shot straight at them. She didn't even have time to react when it hit them. Water sprayed all around them but she felt no pain. The water cleared and she could see that they were still safe.

"Huh? How did...How did we survive that?" Tukiko asked. She was sure that the arrow was too fast. If it weren't for her Sharingan she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to see the incredible speed it had.

"I sent it away," Kakashi answered in a tired voice. His own Mangekyou Sharingan was activated. Tukiko knew the answer now. Kakashi's Mangekyou Sharingan had the ability to warp things away. That was far different from her own and her brothers' Magekyou Sharingans. It must have taken a lot out of him, though. He was already panting from the exhaustion the technque brought. "So that's Susanoo, I take it?"

Sasuke sneered. "I can't beleive you, a non-Uchiha, awakened the Mangekyou. So that's what saved you. That's your eye's ability. I hope you're grateful to the Uchiha."

"Will you just shut the fuck up about our Sharingans, you concieted little bastard! I've had enough about 'Sharingan' this and 'Uchiha' that!" Tukiko schreeched. A boiling pot within her tipped over the moment he started bad-mouthing their sensei. It was a pot that long since started to fill since she learned the truth about their clan. "Sasuke Uchiha, will you just get over yourself and our clan? I hate all of this crap about our clan! You are Sasuke Uchiha. You are your own person and judged by that alone. The way you live has nothing to do with the clan. Can't you look into your heart and see past all of this hatred?"

He paused as if thinking about it. An angry scowl soon appeared. "They're all laughing. They're all laughing it up at the cost of Itachi's life! Cackling in unison with no idea of the price he paid! You were laughing too! You forgot all about our brother in favor of your stupid little friends and comrades!"

As his anger grew, so did the figure around him. It started to grow what looked like a war helmet that revealed only its eyes and an armor of fire. This alarmed Kakashi and Tukiko. In subconsious defense, her Mangekyou Sharingan finally activated on its own.

"All I hear now in that laugther is ridcule and scorn!" he yelled. "I'm going to turn that laughter into screams of anguish and despair!"

Tukiko felt the air around Sasuke become colder. She shivered, feeling her eyes start to become strained. She cried out, a sharp pain peircing through her eyes with needles. She clutched her eyes as different, cry came from someone else.

"Fuck!" two different voices yet identical cried out.

Tukiko bit her lip, feeling an unexplicable ache. The only thing was that it quickly faded away as soon as it came. She lowered her hand from her eyes, her vision coming back into focus.

A hand touched her shoulder. "Tukiko, are you all right? Do your eyes hurt?"

"Sort of." She breathed out a sigh. She knew why her eyes started to hurt like that. Lifting her eyes, she saw the chakra around Sasuke disappeared. He was furiously pressing his palms against his eyes and wiping them. Then her eyes lifted even higher as a new object approached. She gasped.

_No, Sakura-chan!_

Sakura flipped down to where Sasuke was, weilding a kunai. She concentrated and was almost close to stabbing him in the back, but she stopped. Sakura bit her lip and tears started to fall. A huge mistake on her part. Sasuke realized she was behind her and grabbed her by the throat. Instantly, Tukiko and Kakashi moved to stop Sasuke. By then, Sasuke grabbed the kunai out of Sakura's hand. He raised and slashed at Sakura.

"Sasuke, no!" Tukiko cried. She was going to be too late. Sakura was going to die.

An orange and black blur came out of nowhere from behind Sasuke and took Sakura away from him. The blur landed on the water to show it was Naruto who saved Sakura. The two rivals' eyes met each other for a brief second. Then Kakashi jumped in and punched Sasuke towards the wall. Sasuke braced himself and jumped off the wall instead of hitting it.

Tukiko ran over to where Naruto was setting Sakura down on the water. She fussed over Sakura, checking for any injuries the girl might have sustained. She was relieved to see none.

"You've got even better timing than me, Naruto. I never expected you to come, but I sure as hell am glad you did," Kakashi said.

"Naruto, thank you for saving Sakura," Tukiko said with a grateful smile. "I was almost sure that Sasuke would have..." She trailed off, not wanting to mention what could have been.

"Th-Thank you," Sakura quietly said. She was still in shock that Naruto saved her from getting attacked by Sasuke.

Naruto disregarded their thanks and turned his burning eyes to Sasuke. He was glaring sternly at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan is part of Team 7 just like us." His tone was sharp, yet gentle at the same time; like he was scolding a child who didn't know better. "Sasuke."

"What?" Sasuke lashed out. Naruto was uneffected.

"Tobi told us the truth about Itachi," he started. This earned a sharp gasp from Tukiko. "I don't know if I believe him or not, but either way everything you've done I understand why you did it!"

_He knows it!_ Tukiko screamed in her head. How could he know? _I can't believe that jerk Madara told him! No one other than the clan could know the truth. Aniki's death seems like it was made for nothing now._

"Naruto, I told you once before. You never had parents or siblings. You never had _anyone._ So shut up, you outsider!_"_ Sasuke's tone was sharp. It was identical to Tukiko's tone when she was pissed. "Just now, just moments ago, I finally got revenge for Itachi on one of his betrayers. One of Konoha's top brass. His name was Danzou."

The name shocked Kakashi, Sakura, and Tukiko. Sasuke killed one of the elders of Konoha? How could he?

He smiled in an almost maniacal sense. "It was a high unlike anything I've ever felt. Like I was finally cleansing the Uchiha name of the stigma that's dogged it for all these years. Like I was freeing the Uchiha from being associated with this corrupt shinobi world. In a sense, it's what Konoha has always wanted. After rejecting my clan for generations, I'm finally going to wipe it from your memories. By killing every last one of you until Konoha is crushed forever! Any link to the Uchiha will be severed and our name will be purified! That is how I'll revive my clan!"

Tukiko felt her eyes grow wider and wider during Sasuke's monologue. She felt sick to her stomach just listening to it. It was true. The Sasuke she knew was gone. He was gone forever and sealed within the person he was right now. He wasn't the sweet twin brother who promised to protect her. He was someone who listened to no one and would kill everyone, including her, to make sure their clan was restored to its former glory. Tukiko had no idea who this person was anymore. She pushed her knuckles to her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. Oh, god. She couldn't stand seeing this person anymore. She wanted to say something, but didn't want to. Her hand moved away from her mouth and she found herself speaking.

"Sasuke, you're an _AHOU!_" Tukiko opened her Sharingan eyes. "Open your eyes, fool! You say our clan has been prejudiced during all these years, right? That's because they forced themselves into that position! It's always about power with our clan! Revenge this, revenge that! It's always about power and revenge! Because of this revenge, our fucking father, Fugaku, forced Itachi to complete that stupid century long revenge! It's because of the clan's revenge that Itachi-nii-san's dead! It's because of that revenge that my fiancé's dead! It's because of this revenge that my child will never know who his father is!" She slapped her mouth shut at that last statement. That last one slipped. She was so into the moment that she had no control over what she was saying.

But the damage was done. Kakashi and Naruto's eyes widened as they stared at her in horror. Sasuke did not understand what she meant yet.

"Tukiko, what are you saying?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"Your child?" Kakashi demanded.

Tukiko glanced at Sakura. Her face was grim. When their eyes met, Sakura shrugged and nodded for her to continue. It was time to tell them. She was afraid of this. She sighed, knowing she had to tell. She would only be digger herself a bigger grave if she didn't. She took a deep breath and said these words in a calm, loud voice.

"I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby."

Okay, here's the latest chapter. Ugh, I'm kinda pissed right now. Why? Because I'm getting down to the wire now. I've only written to chapter 28 of this story and I ran out of ideas. You see, after this whole business with the Hokage summit, I'm diverging from the storyline. Which means Tukiko is going to go her own way. But here's the thing: I need help. Yes, you guys! I need your help! I already know what I'm doing as far as once Tukiko gets back to the village but I'm gone from there. I have no clue what to do. So this is your chance to get your ideas in the story! Please send a private message for your ideas as to not ruin anything in your reviews should your idea be used. Who knows? Perhaps I will use a mixture of your ideas. Please tell me!

And on another note, I'm getting obsessed with one of my old animes again. Which one? The original _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ I have no idea how but I got bored one day so I decided to read the _Yu-Gi-Oh! _manga. Turns out it wasn't that bad. The first series of the whole thing is actually better than the original! Yugi and his friends don't play a children's card game every episode and there's violence! Hooray for violence! If they did those Yami games every other episode in the second series of _Yu-Gi-Oh!,_ I would have paid attention. Plus, Yami is so evil in there. I love it! Unfortunately, I'm now writing some fanfics of the series for funsies. Damn.

Anyway, please review and give your ideas!


	27. Declarations

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 27

_"I'm pregnant. I'm goiing to have a baby."_

This news shocked everyone but Sakura in the general area. Kakashi stared in shock at Tukiko while Naruto was gaping. Sasuke, she wasn't sure what his reaction was. It was a cross mix between shock, horror, and rage.

Naruto finally recovered and said the first words.

"WHAT THE HELL! YOU'RE _PREGNANT!"_

Tukiko nervously laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Um, basically? I know it wasn't the best time to reveal this."

"How? Why! What in the-" Naruto was lost for words again. He sputtered the beginnings of questions but they were intantgebile. He did get out one thing. "_WHO!"_

By this time, she was blushing a deep red of shame. She hung her head and stared at the water ripples below her feet.

"I was going to tell you this if Tsunade ever woke up. I'm not sure if I should tell you guys yet."

"Tukiko, are you sure? Maybe it's a fluke-" Kakashi started, but was interrupted by Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei, I checked myself. She's pregnant. I found out right after she died during the attack." Sakura examined Tukiko with a critical eye. "I think I measured how far along she is wrong. She has this weird craving for dark chocolate for some reason."

"It's sweets in general. Why the hell are we having this conversation now! We're in the middle of something here!" Tukiko irritably reminded. How could they be talking casually about her strange cravings when Sasuke was talking about destroying Konoha? What kind of conversation was this?

Kakashi stared at her dully. "Fine. We'll continue this discussion later on."

Naruto remembered where he was. He made the Kage bunshin handseal. A clone appeared beside him. Kakashi held out a hand to stop him.

"Naruto, Sakura, Tukiko, get out of here," he ordered the three.

They protested.

"But Kakashi-sensei-"

Kakashi interrupted her with a sharp tone.

"I don't want you three to have to see this. Get out of here, _now!"_

They were startled at the tone he used. He was dead serious. Sakura tried to protest again. Kakashi continued.

"The kind of poison kunai you'd have learned to make from Shizune won't kill Sasuke. Orochimaru would've made sure he'd be immune to it. And besides, you've seen that you can't handle this."

"Kakashi, what the hell are you trying to do? We're not going to leave if you're trying to kill Sasuke," Tukiko growled. She knew what he was trying to do. He wanted them to leave so they wouldn't have to see him kill his student and their friend.

"Are you going to kill Sasuke?" Naruto demanded.

"Leave!"

Naruto didn't obey Kakashi's orders; not when Sasuke was so close and using the Chidori. He made another clone that grabbed Kakashi under his arms. Another clone helped make a Rasengan in the real Naruto's hand. Then Naruto charged at the on-coming Sasuke. Tukiko tried to make a grab for Naruto's jacket. Her fingertips barely brushed against the material. She didn't have enough to go after him when Sasuke and Naruto collided with each other.

The result was instant. The two high ranked jutsu collided with each other and caused a large explosion. Water sprayed everyone. Tukiko blocked her eyes from getting sprayed on. She managed to see Kakashi flip over the clone that held him to catch Naruto, who was sent flying backwards by the explosion. The water rained down and settled again. Kakashi released Naruto.

"I told you to get out of here, Naruto," Kakashi sternly said.

Naruto slowly stood up, lifting his narrow eyes up to Sasuke. "Now, I'm certain."

"Certain? Of what? What are you talking about?" Kakashi demanded. He was confused by the statement as they all were.

Naruto did not say anything more. He was gazing intently as Sasuke. Tukiko glanced between them. What was going on?

Suddenly, an orange spiral appeared out of nowhere next to where Sasuke and a strange white thing stood. The spiral took on a shape until the figure of Madara Uchiha appeared. He tilted his head down to Sasuke.

"I thought I told you to come back and rest."

"Damn it!" Tukiko shook in complete, unadulterated fury towards the figure. Just by looking at him, she was furious. She was so angry that her eyes stayed onto a complete Mangekyou Sharingan. "Madara Uchiha, you are so fucking dead! You're the one who told Naruto and Sasuke the truth, _aren't you!"_

Madara turned his head slightly to Tukiko. "Why, Tukiko-chan, what gives you that assumption?" he asked innocently.

"You...You...!" She was furious to even speak. Her whole vision was turning a violent red. She hated Madara. He ruined everything that her older brother worked for. She was ready to strangle this guy to death. "I'm going to kill you for what you did!"

Tukiko stepped to approach Madara in order to strike at him. However, Kakashi grabbed her arm before she could make that move. She twisted her head to him.

"Let. Go," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"No, Tukiko. You're acting like Sasuke. You can't even see the situation you're going to put yourself in." He gestured his head to the Akatsuki group. "You think you can take on the Akatsuki, especially Madara Uchiha, in your current condition? You're going to get yourself killed."

"Does it look like I care? I'm pregnant, not useless!" She pushed his hand off of her, eyes narrowing into slits. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't entirely mean I'm extra baggage, Kakashi. I'm going to kill Madara Uchiha if it's the last thing I do."

"Pregnant? You wouldn't happen to be pregnant now, are you Tukiko-chan?" Madara mused. If he didn't have his mask, they would have been able to see him smirking. "So I was right. You _were_ having an affair with Senpai. How _cute."_ Tukiko could have imagined his smirk grow wider at her startled face. "What? You didn't think I knew that either? I'm not stupid. I observed the way that Deidara-senpai seemed to disappear every other mission he had with Sasori. I just didn't think he would have knocked you up before his death."

"Deidara? You mean...from the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked, his eyes steadily growing wide. "Tukiko...You didn't..."

Tukiko felt her face burn red with shame. She could almost feel the onslaught of tears that would course to her eyes.

"Yup! That's right. The precious and innocent little Uchiha angel was having an affair with a demon of the heartless Akatsuki," Madara answered in a chipper tone. "She met her precious loved one six years ago in Iwa before he ever defected. Three years later, they reunited only to discover they were on enemy sides. They were forced to lie behind everyone's backs just so they could be together. But fate tragically ripped them apart when Tukiko's own twin brother took her love's life."

"Shut up..." Tukiko quietly said. She was so close to crying now.

"Not only that, she's still holding secrets-"

"Shut up..." She said louder.

"One that involves her brothers-"

"Shut up...!"

"She took away her own brother's-"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Tukiko's cry rang through the air. She lifted up her head and instantly, black fire spread on top of the water between them. The two groups sprang back to avoid the growing flames. Madara was further amused at the red tears that dripped from Tukiko's swirling eyes.

"This isn't any of your business! I know what I did was wrong! I regret everything I've done but I don't at the same time! I loved Deidara more than anything." Her legs couldn't support her any longer. She fell to her knees, covering her eyes to not show her tears. "I loved him so much. The only reason I got through these last three years was because of him and Aniki. The only reason that I'm still _alive _ is because of them. They tell me I should be happy, but how can I when the one causing my unhappiness is taking away my other half?"

"Really? Now you're being a hypocrite, Tukiko-chan." Madara glanced between the only two Uchiha siblings left. "You say you're unhappy? What about your brother's pain, huh? Did you take into account that your twin brother is feeling the sting of being betrayed by the only person he thought he could trust? You lied to him this entire time about everything. You knew about Itachi's true self and yet, foolishly let your twin brother kill the brother who loved him until the very end. Then he finds out who his brother and sister truly are. I did him a favor, Tukiko-chan, unlike you, who cares only about her village before her own family. I saved him from leading a life of lies like you are right now."

"Hey, leave Tukiko alone!" Naruto yelled out in her defense. "I don't care if you really are Madara Uchiha! Just leave Tukiko alone. She's been through more crap in her life more than me and that's saying something! Tukiko...She's never been happy to the fullest since I first met her. She was crying that day she found out about her clan being dead and when she met Itachi after all those years to find him like that. Then Sasuke left the village and that nearly killed her. Tukiko's been lied to, betrayed on, accused of, and actually died once during her whole life. She doesn't need to hear whatever you have to say to her! Speaking of which..." He paused for a second. "Sasuke, remember what you told me back in the Valley of the End? About being top-class ninjas? One direct clash later, I understand a lot more. We've become top-class ninjas, Sasuke. Both of us. So tell me: Did you see what was in my heart? How I really feel? Did you see what'll happen if we fight again? We're both gonna die!"

Sakura and Tukiko were surprised. They didn't know what exactly happened at the Valley of the End. All they knew was that Naruto and Sasuke fought and Naruto lost. They wondered what really happened there?

"Our battle will be inevitable if you really do attack Konoha," Naruto continued. "So keep your hatred, let it grow and hit me with it full force. I'm the only one who can bear the full brunt of your hate! It's not Sakura-chan's job, not Kakashi-sensei's job, and not even Tukiko-chan's job. It's mine and no one else's! I'll bear the burden of your hatred and we'll die together, because I'm your friend." He grinned. "Sasuke, we'll never be able to understand on another through words alone. That's more of you and Tukiko-chan. I knew that from the moment I met you, the only way you and I can communicate is with our fists! Remember what I said. We're both top-class ninjas now. I haven't given up yet!"

_Naruto..._Tukiko didn't know what to say. Did Naruto care that deeply for her twin brother? It was supposed to be her job to understand her twin. If Naruto said that they could only communicate through fists alone, she wondered if what she and Sasuke had was much more different than she thought. She had no idea anymore.

Naruto laughed by the end. "Still, I'm done ranting to you. Hell, I can barely string together a sentence. I shouldn't be lecturing anyone." He ran a hand through his hair. "If we really do take this all the way to the end and we both die, we won't be Uchiha, Jinchuuriki, or anything. There'll be no more burdens to bear. We'll come to understand on another in the next world. I guess it'll take you that far since Tukiko actually did go that far. I mean, she already died once and had a whole realization to there being much more to life than the past. She got into a whole depression and was close to letting herself die. When she did die, she changed her mind and wanted to live again."

"Naruto," Tukiko half-sobbed, half-laughed hysterically. How could he talk about her one-time death? It wasn't even supposed to be funny or used as an example. She was so sad that she couldn't decide on whether to laugh or cry. She did both.

Sasuke sneered. "I will never change. I don't want us to understand one another! Go take that liar next to you, instead. We're not even the same. And I'm not gonna die, you will."

"Enough, Naruto. I'll handle Sasuke," Kakashi intervened. He let this go on long enough because he wanted to hear what Naruto had to say. "You still have your dream of becoming Hokage. Sasuke may have fallen but don't let him drag you down too-"

"How could I call myself Hokage if I can't even save one friend _or_ keep a single promise? The only person Sasuke will be fighting is me!"

Sasuke seemed amused by the idea and smirked. "Have it your way. I decided to kill you first before her, then."

"Heh. You still haven't accepted me as an equal. I can protect Tukiko-chan on my own before you get to her. And besides," Naruto leaned down and hugged Tukiko around the neck. She went wide-eyed at the simple gesture, "I'm Tukiko-chan's other brother now. I'm taking care of her until I knock some sense into that thick head of yours."

Tukiko, whether it was her hormones or from her emotions, continued to cry. Naruto was such a good friend. She probably didn't even deserve this from him. He declared himself as her brother so that he could watch over her in place of Sasuke. She was touched by the idea.

Kakashi seemed to understand that this was what Naruto wanted. He sighed. "Okay. Sasuke is all yours, Naruto. Sakura, take care of my body, okay?"

Sakura didn't understand until they noticed Kakashi's Sharingan taking on a different shape. It looked like he was about to do something with it when Madara interrupted.

"Don't bother, Kakashi. Techniques like that have no effect on me."

"Then how about this?" Tukiko closed her eyes for a fraction of a second then quickly reopened them. Black fire suddenly surrounded Madara and his group and steadily grew larger. However, Madara was still unfazed.

"Tukiko-chan, you might have the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan from taking Itachi's eyes, but do you really think your eyes are better? And by the way, your eyes are with me now." Tukiko's eyes widened. He turned to Sasuke. "Let's go, Sasuke."

He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder by what they could tell through the fire. Then the three of them disappeared from thin air.

Once they were gone, the fire died down as Tukiko closed her eyes. She suddenly felt faint all of a sudden. Everything became blurry and her head started to spin. Her hold on her chakra faded and she almost fell into the water if Naruto weren't holding onto her. For the second time that day, she lost her consciousness.

The next time that Tukiko regained consciousness was a few minutes after she fainted.

She groaned as her eyelashes fluttered up. Feeling a hard body against her chest, she turned her head to see that she was being carried by Naruto who was walking along a forest path with Sakura and Kakashi with Karin on his back. They all heard her groan and stopped.

"Are you awake already?" Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder to her.

"Hn," she responded. She was so tired to even open her mouth and respond. She nudged Naruto and pointed down to the ground; she wanted to be set down. He understood and complied to her wish. She was able to stand on her own two feet, but swayed a little. This caught Kakashi and Sakura's attention.

"Are you sure that you're in the condition to walk?" Kakashi asked her.

"I'm fine, Kakashi. No worries." Tukiko grinned, but she looked tired.

Karin snorted. "Fine, my ass. You barely have enough chakra in your body to keep yourself standing."

"No one asked _you_, Karin. That reminds me, what _is_ Karin doing here?"

"We're taking her back to Konoha as a prisoner, you can say," Kakashi answered. "She'll be useful on giving us some information on Sasuke's team and Akatsuki."

"Ah, really?"

Karin nodded, but frowned. Tukiko wondered what was on her mind.

The group continued walking forward on the forest path. Tukiko was trying her hardest to stay awake and succeeding so far. She didn't want to be carried because it would show she was still weak. That was something she didn't want her friends to know. They continued on until they came to the part of the path where Tukiko found Kiba and Akamaru, Sai, and Lee. Next to the path was where she lay the boys and dog sleeping. They stopped in front of them.

"You were in trouble, Sakura, and here they were just sleeping the whole time," Naruto said, shaking his head in disappointment.

Sakura nervously laughed, making Tukiko narrow her eyes.

"You know they were just trying to help you out," she said. "I can't believe you knocked them out."

"You better wake them up and apologize to them," Kakashi chimed in sternly.

"All right."

"Oh, jeez." Naruto stumbled over to the spot next to Lee.

"Naruto, don't be too hard on them. This is my fault-" Sakura was saying but stopped when Naruto plopped down on the ground.

"Ooh, I still don't feel so good," he moaned.

"Now you're going to sleep, too!"

Tukiko sighed. Naruto actually had the guts to admit he was tired. It made him look fine. But if she did it, everyone would start worrying over her like there was no tomorrow. She hated being fussed on. Being pregnant would make that worse. She looked at Naruto's face and couldn't help but smile. He was sleeping so peacefully like he just had pressure taken off his shoulders. If only she could say the same for her.

Sakura quickly used the antidote on the three people and dog to get them to awaken. It worked very quickly. They all woke up one by one to find the group there. Kiba was in a bad mood when seeing Sakura. He was still in a crabby mood as they explained what happened and started walking.

"Hmph! I'm the one who found Sasuke for you and this is how I'm treated?" Kiba huffed.

"Come on, Kiba. Don't be mad," Kakashi tried to calm him down.

"Why'd you get to have all the fun? And Sai told Naruto everything that ended up with Sasuke getting away."

"Kiba! Be a man and quit your bitching!" Naruto exclaimed. He was tired of Kiba's childish temper of not getting to Sasuke.

"You're the one who's always bitching, Naruto!"

"Will you both quit your bitching! You're giving me a migraine!" Tukiko snapped harshly.

Kiba growled. "Make me, bitch!"

Everyone stopped walking as they stared at Kiba, horrified. Kiba didn't realize what he just called Tukiko yet, still growling.

Tukiko blinked a few times.

"What did...you just _call me?_"

"I called you a bitch, Uchiha! What are you going to-What's with the electric hand?" Kiba asked, seeing electricity crackling on Tukiko's hand.

"Oh, this? I'm just going to _shove it up your ass!"_

Tukiko lunged at Kiba, but he quickly dodged it with a yelp. He started to run down the path to avoid getting hit by the angry Uchiha.

"Get back here, Inuzuka, and take it like a man!" She went after him with the Chidori still charged up.

Naruto and the other shook their heads.

"Jeez, Kiba's an idiot. Doesn't he know he should never called Tukiko-chan a bitch?" Naruto commented.

"She is touchy when she's called names," Kakashi agreed.

"Does Tukiko usually act like this?" Karin asked aloud.

Sakura sighed, watching Tukiko chase Kiba around the forest.

"Almost all the time."

"Hmph. I never thought she would be like that. She didn't act like that when I first met her." Karin was honest about that. She never figured that Tukiko would act like that. She always thought that Tukiko was much like Sasuke; cold and indifferent.

"Tukiko-chan's pretty energetic for an Uchiha," Sakura said. She smiled at the memories she had with Tukiko. "She can be loud, happy, and funny most of the time. She's rarely seen scowling unless she's depressed. Actually, she's even worse at being happy crazy when she's on sugar."

"Sugar? I thought she hated sweets?"

"She does. But if she ever has sugar, she goes stir-crazy. She loses the Uchiha composure and starts bouncing off the walls. She's insane when she's like that."

"I heard that, Haruno!" Tukiko randomly yelled, stopping for a moment to glare at Sakura. Then she ran after Kiba again.

Everyone laughed at this, including Karin. It was great to see that Tukiko was still the same even if she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

There's the next chapter. Now that we're done with the Summit arc, it's going to be time to veer off the manga storyline. Whoo-hoo! And thank you for those who PMed me their ideas. I liked them all and used a combination of the ideas. In two more chapters you'll be able to see what I came up with.

Oh, and I'm also updating Confused Gender for those who want to know. The reason I did that? Because today's Sasuke's birthday! Happy B-day to Sasuke!

Please review!


	28. Leaving again

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 28

Tukiko walked down the newly made streets of Konoha that was made by Yamato. In her arms she carried two boxes of bento. It's been a day since they returned from their adventure in the Iron country. She was trying to catch up on her rest, since Kakashi ordered her to do so. He also ordered her to not take any missions or do any exhausting work for awhile. She wasn't sure whether she should be grateful to him or not. On one hand, she could relax and worry about her baby. But on the other, she didn't want to be bored and needed to do something in order to get her mind off of their situation. She didn't know.

_I wish I _did _have something to do. I'm bored out of my mind! No training or anything!_

She sighed and noticed that she reached her destination of the day. She arrived at a building that was based on the Japanese style as all the buildings were in Konoha. A sign was staked in the dirt in the front and it read _Intelligence division._ It was crudely painted on. Tukiko ignored the sign and went to the front entrance. Walking in, she was met with a man. He stopped her.

"Halt! What is your business in the T and I division?"

"I want to help with the interrogation concerning the prisoner who has information on Sasuke Uchiha and the Akatsuki," she said in her business tone.

"We cannot let anyone into the..." The man became confused when Tukiko reached into her pocket. She picked out her ANBU mask from the pack strapped to her waist and flashed it at the man. He tensed up and bowed. "I'm sorry, Tsubame-sama. I did not know that it was you who wished to see the prisoner."

"Can I go in or what?"

"I need to ask Ibiki-sama first." He walked through the door in the back that read _Interrogating rooms._ Tukiko waited for only a few minutes when he came back. "Ibiki-sama has given you permission. He thinks that you can get the prisoner to talk. She was saying she was starving before she could reveal anything."

"Then I have pretty damn good timing, don't I?" Tukiko said. She grinned and walked into the back room with no escort. Although she was off duty for the time being, she needed her dignity. She walked past the doorway and came into a room with stony walls. No sunlight was drifting in. There were also two tables and a lot of chairs.

At one of the tables Ibiki sat in front of a tired and bored Karin. Ibiki looked bored as well and he turned to her. He then eyed the bento in her hand. "Tukiko Uchiha, I have no idea what the hell you're doing here, but I'm glad you're here. Why did you bring food, anyway?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I had a feeling that Karin wanted some food. Besides, the food that the ANBU provides to prisoners sucks badly. I should know. I _worked _with them."

"You got that right," Karin muttered. She eyed the bento as well with a hungry look. "What kind of food did you bring?"

"I put onigiri, rice, fish, vegetables, and whatever I could find."

Karin brightened up. "Thank god! I'm starving!"

Tukiko placed the box lunches on the table. Untying the cloth she put the boxes in, she picked one up and handed Karin one with chopsticks. Then she spoke to the interrogators. "Hey, you guys go take a break. I'll take over from here."

"Uchiha, are you sure? And by yourself?" Ibiki asked.

"Yes. I'm sure. Plus, I can see that you guys _need_ the break. I can handle Karin myself."

Ibiki gave a sigh of relief. He stood. "Thanks. I don't think I could take it anymore if that girl goes into another sob story." He walked out of the room with his assistants behind him. Once the door closed behind him, they heard a distinct _click!_ He locked them up for good measure.

Tukiko took a seat at where Ibiki was sitting before. She saw Karin already digging into her bento and she did the same. She ate slowly while Karin was almost wolfing it down.

"I hate to admit it," Karin said after swallowing some rice, "but you have good cooking skills. Did you make this _okonomiyaki_?"

"Yup," she said.

Karin scowled. "Damn. I thought a restaurant made it instead." She sighed and continued eating.

"Glad that you like my food." She rolled her eyes. It wasn't a surprise that Karin would like her food. Most of her friends loved her food. At first, people wouldn't think that such a skilled shinobi would know how to cook very well. After all, as shinobi they didn't have time to learn how to cook or even have the time to eat. Most were shocked that she could cook and pretty damn well. Of course, she didn't consider her cooking special. She just learned how to. Tukiko stopped eating for a brief second. "So what Ibiki said said...A _sob story?_ Really, Karin?"

Karin glared at her. "What? It's better than telling them information on Sasuke and Akatsuki. I'm not telling them a damn thing unless I got what I wanted, which is food."

"So you _don't_ care if you give information about your precious Sasuke-kun."

"Of course not. And he's not my 'precious' Sasuke-kun," she snorted. "Not since he tried to kill me."

Tukiko knew how Karin felt. She felt betrayed and angry that Sasuke just used her and didn't care if she died. As long as he got what he wanted, who cared about other people's lives? He sure didn't. "I see. So I'm guessing you quit from Hebi and Akatsuki, huh?"

"Hebi turned into Taka," she corrected. "And yes, I did quit. I'm not following him anymore. Besides, at least I'm not gonna be killed here if I play my cards right."

"I guess not."

Karin finished her bento by then. She set down the box and shoved it towards Tukiko. Tukiko barely noted the box. She kept eating slowly as she thought about what Karin said. Karin even gave up on Sasuke and she was obsessed with him. It seemed like everyone but Naruto was resigning to the fact that Sasuke was evil now. That stupid knuckle head would never give up on him, she thought. Not even if he had to die, he would never give up. She was so caught up in her thoughts she almost missed Karin calling her name.

"Tukiko...Tukiko...Uchiha!"

She blinked and stared at Karin, who was frowning. She looked irritated as well. "I'm sorry, Karin. What did you say?"

"I was saying how have you been? You seem stressed."

"Wow. You're worrying over me?" Tukiko asked, startled. Karin was actually worrying. Over _her?_ What the hell? Karin would never do something like this.

Karin's cheek puffed out. "I have my moments, retard. I'm not that emotionless. I was just wondering since, you know, you're dressed more like a civilian than a kunoichi." She gestured to the clothes that Tukiko was wearing. She was wearing a light sundress with an apron tied around the front. Even though she looked conservative, it fit her well. "Really. I would've thought you were a housewife instead of a kunoichi."

"Don't even call me a housewife," she threatened. "The whole reason I ran away from home was to _avoid_ being a housewife. I just felt like dressing like this today."

"Really? It doesn't have to do with your pregnancy?"

Tukiko grinned shyly and almost out of embarrassment. "Well, maybe a little. Sakura told me I had to start wearing loose fitting clothes so I wouldn't make the baby uncomfortable."

"I still can't believe you're pregnant. And with an Akatsuki member's! I never thought you had it in you. I'm so proud," Karin mock cried. She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "You really aren't the angel I thought you were."

"Hey! It's not my fault. I only got pregnant because I fucking forgot to use protection! It was that damn Deidara's fault for proposing to me and completely forgetting about using protection," Tukiko muttered darkly. Oh, she was happy that she was going to have a baby. The only thing was she was scared and guilty. Guilty because she never told anyone but Sakura that she was pregnant and she was engaged to an Akatsuki member. That blew up in her face for keeping it a secret from everyone. She was scared because she basically told Madara and Sasuke she was pregnant. Sasuke was pissed at her already. He was sure to kill her before she could give birth. That was scary to think about.

Karin's eyes went wide. "Wait a minute. I forgot you were engaged, right? When did this happen?"

"Before I met you. Deidara proposed to me before Sasuke recruited me to Hebi or Taka or whatever you call it."

"Did he give you a ring?"

Tukiko nodded. She reached into the neckline of her dress to pull out a thin chain. From that chain hung a gold band with a sapphire resting on top. She showed it to Karin, who whistled.

"Wow. For an Akatsuki member, he did nice," she said, impressed. "I never would have figured he would have the money or knowledge to get a ring that nice."

"Me neither." She giggled. Deidara was clueless to what a girl would need. When she first started her period he freaked out about the blood and thought she was dying. Tukiko already knew about a girl's time of month so she didn't freak. Deidara, on the other hand, literally fainted. He had no clue about it until Sasori, much to his embarrassment, explained it to his young, naive partner. It surprised her that he would get a decent engagement ring for her. "I think he had help or something. He was dumb when it came to what me, as a girl, would like."

Karin sighed, shaking her head. "Boys are clueless, aren't they?"

"Yup! You can't live with them _or_ without them."

The two laughed like old friends. They continued to talk like girls would gossip. Tukiko felt like she was talking to Sakura, only she knew she was talking to Karin. They were finally getting along. They talked about things like what Tukiko's friends were like all the way to the baby.

"How far along are you?" Karin asked. She was curious to how many months she was into her pregnancy. If Deidara proposed to her before being recruited into Taka, then she must be at least a few weeks along.

Tukiko bit her lip with her hand wandering down to her abdomen. For some reason, her hand on where her child was felt comforting. It was like she was protecting them. "I think I'm about nine or ten weeks in. Sakura says she might have estimated wrong because she kind of noticed that I was putting on more weight under my bulky clothes. I have a check up with her later."

"Do you know what the gender is?"

"Nope."

"What about names? Did you come up some yet?"

"_If you ever have two kids, name them Hotaru and Hikaru. Even if they're boys, okay?"_

"Either Hotaru or Hikaru," she answered. This was something that Deidara told her the very last time they met. "Even if they're a boy, I'm going to name them Hotaru or Hikaru."

Karin's forehead furrowed. She looked like she wanted to ask why she would name it that, but didn't bother to mention it. Instead, she asked, "Did you think about making a nursey yet?"

Tukiko answered no.

They talked about other things that had to do with the baby until Ibiki came back. He found them laughing and gossiping like the girls they were. He was confused by this and asked Tukiko what the hell they were talking about. She answered nothing and told him that Karin was ready to talk. After telling him this, Ibiki promptly kicked her out to get his information.

Tukiko pouted and set off down the street. Now she had nothing to do. Visiting Karin was her priority for the day and that was over already. There was nothing else planned for the rest of the day. Usually, she would use this time to train or hone her jutsus. Being pregnant now, she couldn't waste energy that should be going to her child. That sucked on so many levels. Sighing, she decided to head back to her new house.

Down the street, she walked into a bustling new market street. People were settling back into their daily lives before the attack. The buildings were rebuilt and they all had their homes back. It was like the attack never happened, she noted. People greeted her on the straight by her name and asking how she was. A few ninjas she came across, however, half-heartedly greeted her. After talking for a bit, Tukiko would leave. That was when she heard the whispers behind her back.

"Can you believe her?"

"She's walking around carrying around the child of our enemy."

"She was fraternizing with the enemy."

"What a slut. She had sex with an enemy."

"I knew all the remaining Uchihas were traitors."

"I can't believe she fooled us into thinking she was our friend."

Tears sprung up in her eyes when hearing these words. She should have known this would happen. Word already got out about her pregnancy. All the ninjas would know that by now no matter how much she tried to cover it up. Tukiko swallowed her tears and kept her head held high. She was an Uchiha. She wouldn't give these people the decency of seeing her cry, even if she did want to. No matter how much it hurt, she wouldn't let her emotions get the better of her. It was unbecoming of a ninja of her rank. Too bad her hormones were getting the best of her. By the time she was near her new home (the Uchiha estate was destoryed during the attack as well. She managed to salvage most of her belongings as well as finding her mother's crystal angel still in tact), she let loose the tears. No one was on the street, but her.

_Stop it, Tukiko! You're stronger than this. Get a hold of yourself,_ she scolded herself. Tears were a sign of weakness. Being weak wasn't something she would so easily tolerate. Who cares about what people were saying about her? She could give a damn about what they said. Neji would care, but he couldn't help ease the pain their words caused. They hurt more than they let on. Some of these people were her friends she made over the past few years. They obviously changed their opinions about her now that they learned what awful act she committed against the village. Tukiko bawled in the middle of the street. It was her fault she did such a thing. She was paying the price of it now.

"Tukiko-chan! Tukiko-chan, why are you crying?" a familiar voice said from below her feet.

Tukiko wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and tilted her head down. What she saw caught her off guard. Denka and Hina were standing at her feet. They were nudging their heads softly around her ankles and purring. She completely wiped away her tears. "D-Denka? Hina, what are you two doing in Konoha?"

It was impossible for these two to be here in Konoha. They would never leave the shop unless they were with someone or if something urgent occurred.

"They're with me, Tukiko," another familiar voice said.

Looking up, she saw Tamaki, Granny Cat's granddaughter, walking up to her. Her long brown hair swayed from the wind.

"You're here, too?" she asked. Now she knew something happened. Tamaki wouldn't leave her grandmother's side in a million years. "If you're here, does that mean something happened?"

Tamaki smiled bitterly. "You always did know if something happened with us. I'm afraid I have bad news."

"Oh, no. Granny didn't..." She let the question hang. Granny Cat was as much of a grandmother to her like Tamaki was her cousin. She wouldn't bare it if she lost her, too.

To her relief, Tamaki shook her head.

"No. It's not that."

Tukiko sighed in relief. "That's good. Then what did happen? Why are you here?"

Tamaki bit her lip and looked down at Denka and Hina. They were still rubbing against Tukiko's ankles comfortably.

"Tukiko...remember how about four weeks ago you sent us your eyes?" she asked.

"Yeah." After her transferring Itachi's eyes into her eye sockets, she still had her own eyes. Tukiko wanted to keep them, but had no idea what to do with them. Then she remembered she could keep them with Granny Cat. She was the only person she could trust her eyes to in the whole entire world. She wrote a letter and summoned one of her swallows to send off her eyes to Granny Cat. The letter explained everything to her in case she asked why she didn't have her eyes. Something must have happened involving her eyes. "What about them?"

"I'm really sorry, but your eyes were stolen."

A dawning looked fell upon Tukiko's features at the mere words. Her eyes...were stolen?

"What!" Tukiko shrieked. No, no, no! Her eyes! They were stolen! That meant someone in the world now possessed a pair of fully matured Sharingan eyes. The fact that the Sharingan was a powerful weapon unto itself was horrible, but to have someone other than an Uchiha to have them! That could mean bad news. The question was who? Who could know where the Uchiha weapon storehouse was located and steal her eyes? They couldn't be in a conspicious spot either. Granny Cat wouldn't leave something as precious as the Sharingan eyes to be lying around in plain sight. She took a few deep, calm breaths. She was going to worry herself sick if she didn't calm down. Sakura told her stress wasn't good for the baby. She was going to handle this in a calm manner. "Do you know who would break into the house and steal my eyes?"

Tamaki looked up at the sky in thought. "I was on another errand for Granny when they were stolen," she admitted. "Granny told me she was trying to do the laundry when she heard this crash up in the shop. She got one of the cats to go investigate. But a few minutes passed and the cat didn't come back. Granny started to get worried so she opened the door that would lead to the shop. But someone was waiting on the other side and attacked her. Granny was knocked out and when she woke up she found the entire room ransacked. She checked the inventory to find the only thing missing were your eyes. But she hid them under a locked box so we don't know how they got to it."

"Okay, but what did the person look like?"

"Well, Granny did say she saw that the person had on an orange mask-" Tamaki stopped, seeing Tukiko's face get even paler than usual. "Tukiko? Are you alright?"

The moment she said 'orange mask', Tukiko entirely froze up. Orange mask...No, he couldn't have, could he? How could Madara Uchiha have known where she would have kept her eyes? Her eyes became visibly wider when she remembered what he last told her.

_"Tukiko-chan, you might have the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan from taking Itachi's eyes, but do you really think your eyes are better? And by the way, your eyes are with me now." _

_Oh. Shit._

That's what he meant? Her eyes were...Her _Mangekyou Sharingan eyes_ were in the hands of an evil mastermind? Oh, gods! This was terrible! Who knew what he could do with those eyes! He could keep them for himself or give it to one of his underlings like some ninja or even Sasuke!

At this thought, her eyes practically bulged out. No way...Another new thought popped into her head.

_He could transfer my eyes to Sasuke's..._

Oh, no. That was a major problem. Sasuke was her twin brother who also wielded the Mangekyou Sharingan. Her eyes had the Mangekyou Sharingan so that means Sasuke would, too, have the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan such as she does. With those new abilities he would surely kill her! Knowing Madara, he would do such a thing for Sasuke. And Naruto! He wouldn't stand a chance against those eyes! Naruto was going to do anything to protect her. He swore on it.

"Tukiko-chan? Are you all right?" Tamaki asked, noticing how Tukiko's face became paler by the second. She was also swaying.

Tukiko swallowed heavily and nodded. "I-I'm fine. Tell your Grandmother thank you for trying her best to look after my eyes. I appreciate it."

"All right."

Tamaki decided to leave for home again. As she walked away, she never noticed Tukiko biting her lip with raging thoughts.

Tukiko walked into her empty apartment, locking it behind her. She bit her lip as she collapsed on the couch. What was she going to do? This new information was disturbing to say the least. Sasuke could possibly have the _Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan_, which was made by her stolen eyes. Not only that, they were going to war. Sasuke was going to go after her and possibly her child, to which Naruto would come and fight Sasuke in order to protect her. But then she wouldn't know if Naruto would survive or not. Like Naruto said two days ago to Sasuke, neither of them might live if they were to battle. The only way to get Akatsuki to stop is to fight them. It was inevitable for Naruto and Sasuke to fight.

This new fact wouldn't have bothered her a bit had she been _not_ pregnant. The time that they battled might be the wrong time for her. Sakura told her that as the weeks passed during her pregnancy she would be completely out of chakra since her child needed that chakra. She was completely useless, much to her irritation. Being useless was the worst kind of state for her to be in. All her life she hated to be useless. She had to do something to help. When Sasuke comes after her she would be useless. After all, she was staying in the village he wanted to destroy. There was a high chance that the Akatsuki would ambush the village. Sasuke could find her during that ambush and kill her. She was basically a target no matter where she is hidden in the village. Tsunade would hide her within the village and Sasuke would find her as fast as snapping his fingers. He would turn the whole village upside down in order to find her, which was a plus for him.

_No! I can't let anyone get hurt because of me,_ Tukiko groaned. She buried her face in her hands. People important to her would do anything, _anything_, to protect her. Neji, Sakura, Shikamaru, Hinata, and maybe even Karin! They would risk their lives for her so that she could be safe. She couldn't let them do that for her. They've already done so much for her. She couldn't bring them to do this for her. But how could she get them to stop protecting her without them knowing it?

An idea popped in her head. It was a similar idea to one she had many years ago. Unlike that time, she cast her eyes down, tears threatening to fall.

_It's the only way._ She had to do this; for the sake of the village she had to.

With a dejected sigh, Tukiko stood from the couch and walked into her bedroom in the conjoining room. Her new bedroom was smaller compared to her old room. Her old room held many memories and mementos of the past. In here the walls were bare and smelled like the wood that made the house. She went straight for the closet door from across her bed, opened it, and grabbed an old, worn out backpack sitting in the back. As she took it out, a smile spread out despite her sadness. This bag held memories for her. Six years has it served in carrying all of her things. The bag itself was a mess as it had tears and stitched on it to keep it together after she tore it many times in the past. It was special to her in a way.

Tukiko dropped the bag on her bed. She didn't bother packing anything in it since it was already filled with what she needed. All she had to do was change her clothes. She tore off the dress that she was wearing and tore through her dresser. After awhile of searching, she found her old black and white battle kimono outfit. It was the loosest of her traveling clothes and she hasn't worn it since she met Sasuke. Putting it on, she hauled her bag over her shoulder and went back into the living room. There, she stripped her whole apartment of what she had left of her former Uchiha home. The apartment was bare with nothing to signify any personality or person living there. She strapped the bag to her back and ran out the door for the final time.

She ran through the streets of Konoha. It was still pretty light out. Because of this, she headed towards the least populated village gates to the east. No one ever went left the village through there. Sure, there were a few but not many. She avoided any and all ninjas that she came across. If people saw her dressed as if she were going on a mission she would be in big trouble. Once she got to the gates, she noticed that no one was guarding there. No one, not even anyone was patrolling the place. This both confused and relieved her. Good. It was going to be easier this way. She stepped towards the gates and stood at the edge of the boundaries of the village. Then she stopped and turned to look at the village.

Tukiko couldn't believe she was doing this again. She was going to run away from home, just as she did a decade ago. It was different this time. She was leaving the village not for her own selfish gain. The reason she was leaving was to protect her friends from having to risk their lives for her. Knowing if she stayed here, it would bring only heartbreak for her. It worried her that Sasuke could come to the village unnoticed in order to kill her and her child. Speaking of her child, she couldn't let her child grow up here. Konoha was going to be in a state of war, just as all the villages were. She couldn't bring up a child in that kind of environment. Her own father did the same to her older brother. Look how well that went for him. She couldn't let her child grow up as a weapon of war, nor could she let them experience war first hand. They'd have no childhood. That was why she had to run, even if she hurt her friends in the process. It was all for their own good.

Sighing, she turned her back on her only home in the world and ran far, far away from it until she was no longer in sight.

xxxxxxx

And this is where things seperate from the manga! The next few chapters I'm not going to be following the Naruto timeline anymore. I'm making my own way. Plus, I used some of my loyal readers/reviewers ideas. Kudos to you for giving me these ideas! I couldn't have done it without you.

But there's a downside to this. I'm going to take some time to write the rest of the chapters. It's caught up to what I have so far. Please be patient. As soon as I have enough chapters, I'll update, kay?

Please review!


	29. New life

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 29

Everyone wasn't sure how this war started. The people in all the villages be they big or small, did not know the true reason as to why the five biggest shinobi villages were teaming up to take down such an insignifigant organization such as the Akatsuki. They weren't that much of a threat, were they? Apparently, it was so since all of the ninjas were tense as to what would become of their nation. The shinobi villages were trying to gather as many supplies as they could to ration their soldiers and even went as far as taking rations from the smaller, less known villages scattered without their countries. Everyone was afraid of the war. Some say that the war started because the Akatsuki threatened the shinobi powers. Others say that the Akatsuki was bringing on a revolution to overthrow the five big villages to end their unfair tyranny. Not many knew the truth, but one person living in the small village of Ribasu knew the true reason.

Tukiko sighed as she walked down the market street of Ribasu. In her arms she carried a large bag of groceries filled with who knew what. She struggled with the bag, feeling uncomfortable at so much weight. Her plump, round stomach was the cause of that weight. Darn it! Why did she have to carry so much weight? She was only one person! But then she remembered what she used to be like only six months before. The person she had to abandon with a heavy heart. She sighed heavily, shifting the weight of her groceries to accomadate her own weight. Great. Now she was depressed. Just thinking about the old her made her sad.

It was six months ago that she left Konoha. Tukiko didn't know where to go on such short notice. The world was about to go to war and everyone had to be busy. However, she knew that Konoha ninjas would be keeping an eye out for her. She was the only Uchiha that Konohagakure had and she disappeared. Tsunade would have everyone on high alert to look for her. Because Tsunade knew her before becoming Hokage and knew all the places she could hide, Tukiko had to be careful. That fact made it hard for her to know where to hide without being found by anyone. It proved difficult as she tried to figure out where to go. There was no way she could head to any of the major villages. That was a definite no. She also crossed out any shinobi villages in general. No child of hers was growing up near violence! She might as well as hand them over to her brother right then and there! Tukiko wasn't sure on where to go until she found Ribasu.

After a week of deciding on where to hide, she came upon this village. She had to travel across the waters to the east of Fire country. Across the waters, she came upon a small island called the Whirlpool country. She wasn't sure why she came to this island. In the past she heard rumors about Whirlpool country. From what she heard and learned, Whirlpool country used to have its own shinobi village. The most she could learn was that many years ago the village was destroyed by the larger shinobi villages because of some kind of power the village posessed. Not many lived from the destruction of the village. Had there been any survivors, they were scattered around the world and must have changed their names to protect themselves. That said, she didn't know why she came to this island but figured it was a good place to hide. No one would think of looking for her here. As she explored the country, she soon came across a small village. It surprised her that people would plant their community in such a place. Entering the town, she noticed that it was in good condition. She gathered her information while there. Apparently, some time after the destruction of the Whirlpool village, a group of people came upon this land in search of a place to call their own. The land had rich soil that could support their crops and a clean water supply nearby. The group settled in this place, where it is said that the old Whirlpool village resided. But instead of becoming a shinobi village, it was a civilian village so no one would destory it. It worked for them. The village was still in one piece.

After learning this, Tukiko decided to stay in this village. She figured that she could have a fresh start where no one would know her name. So she dyed her hair and eyebrows, changed her name to Miu Ahichu, and lived happily in the village as a civilian. Of course, she had a home but she roomed with other people who took her in without hesitation.

_I love how no one knows about my past and don't question it,_ Tukiko thought happily. When she came to this village no one asked her why she was there or why she came to live there. One woman she met found out that she was pregnant and instantly offered her a home. Being the girl she was, Tukiko couldn't let her do that for nothing in return. The woman, who introduced herself as Chisaki Suzaku, told her it was no problem. The only thing that Tukiko could give her was the joy of helping another give birth. Chisaki didn't even ask about her past. All she knew was that she needed help. No one in the village knew she was an Uchiha and she planned to keep it that way.

"Hey, Miu!"

At the name, Tukiko responded to it. She looked over her shoulder to see a friend of hers running towards her. She smiled.

"Hello, Ryou! What's the rush?"

The boy, Ryou, stopped near her with a grin on his lips. He brushed back his shaggy white hair back from his soft brown eyes.

"I just got back from work," he answered. "Why are you carrying those groceries by yourself? Did my mom make you go shopping?"

Tukiko shook her head.

"No. Your mother is busy making all those desserts for Kazu-san. I decided to go buy more of the ingrediants she needed."

"You shouldn't do that. You're already carrying something important. Here, I'll take those."

"Are you sure?"

By the time she asked this, Ryou snatched the large bag from her arms. She was about to protest, but it died on her lips at the affectionate look he gave her.

"Don't worry, Miu-chan. I'll always help you."

She smiled warmly. She never thought he would be like that. "Thanks, Ryou."

The two teenagers walked down the busy street and chatted away. All the while, Tukiko thought of how lucky she was to have Ryou as a friend. Ryou was Chisaki's son. He was at least a year older than her in age. When Chisaki brought Tukiko into her home Ryou was hesitant to approach her. For the first few weeks she was around Ryou would avoid her like the plague. Chisaki told her that Ryou was shy around pretty girls, especially as pretty as her. Tukiko wasn't sure whether to be relieved, confused, or both. At least he wasn't avoiding her because she was an underage mother-to-be. Most people would freak out at the information. In order to break the ice, she tried her best to talk to him. She asked him what his interests were and all that stuff. It turned out they had some stuff in common like their love of books and dislike of the idea of revenge. After that, Ryou started to help her out as much as possible during her pregnancy. He even went with her to her doctor appointments. They grew closer and closer to the point they were almost inseperable. But she didn't want to be so close to him. He was becoming so close that she was starting to...

The sun started to set upon the two teenagers. Ryou was telling her about the time he was attacked by a sea creature for it to only be a squid on his face. Ryou worked as a fisherman. He fished at the nearby lake they all depended on for food and water. Tukiko laughed at his foolishness.

"I can't believe you freaked out over something like that," she laughed.

"Hey! I thought it was a giant squid. You can't blame a guy for freaking out." Ryou pouted, which made her laugh even more.

"Aw, does poor Wyou need a hug?"

"No! I'm a manly man! We don't need hugs!"

Tukiko giggled and skipped off ahead. "Whatever, dude. You're not a manly man just yet. You need to pass the man test first."

Ryou quirked an eyebrow, shifting around the grocery bag in his arms. "Man test? And what would this test entitle?"

"Who knows?" She smiled cheekily, folding her hands behind her back. Her eyes glittered with mischiviouness. "If you pass the man test, you'll probably become a great hero and get the girl. It's hard to say."

"Hm..." Ryou stepped closer to Tukiko; a little too close for comfort. He stepped so close that their bodies were almost touching. Leaning in, his face was so, so close that their noses nearly touched. "Your idea of being a hero and getting the girl sounds nice."

Tukiko flushed, staring into Ryou's chocolatey brown eyes. They were so pretty. She could get lost in its depths if she stared too long. It was too late, as she was already lost. She was so entranced her eyes fluttered closed and she instinctively leaned forward to close the distance between them. Then suddenly, she felt the warm body in front of her disappear.

"Well, we better get going. It's getting late," Ryou suddenly said.

Her eyes snapped open to see Ryou already walking off towards the direction of home. He paused mid-step to look back at her where she was rooted to her place in the middle of the street, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Are you going to stand there all day or what? You shouldn't even be standing in the first place."

"R-Right!"

She ran to go catch up to him all the while blushing. Once by his side, they started walking for home, except they were silent. It wasn't an awkward silent. It was more of a companionable silence. They enjoyed each other's prescence so much they didn't need to talk. That was a relief because Tukiko's thoughts were raging.

_Idiot! What the hell are you _thinking? Tukiko thought, mentally smacking herself. She shouldn't have tried teasing him like that in the first place! He might think she was coming on to him. That resulted in him bringing them to far together for comfort. Ugh! Why did this have to happen? Why did she have to get so close to someone she hardly knew for more than a year that she ended up having a crush on him! This was her new problem. She liked Ryou. Not as a friend, mind you, but as a...a...! Hell, she couldn't even associate the word to Ryou! It was too difficult. She was still trying to get over her fiancé's death in the first place. Having another love intrest was _not_ the ideal way of getting over someone. She was dishonoring her vow to be single forever and loving only Deidara in her life. But it was so hard. Ryou was so sweet to her. He was always there for her in ways that her friends back home couldn't. He didn't ask her about her issues and try to pry into her past. He barely knew about her past! Instead, he avoided the subject entirely. Her friends couldn't even try to do such a thing. Sooner or later they would always try to convince her to face her past. It was so annoying. When Ryou didn't do that she ended up liking him for that. God, this was so unfair! _Why me? Why do I have to have this lame love life!_

The two arrived at a two-story house near the edge of town. It resembled Tukiko's old home before it was destoryed very much, making it easier for her to accept this new place. Ryou opened the door for Tukiko first. She walked right in with Ryou behind her. Removing their shoes at the door, they walked down the hall where they knew the large kitchen was. The kitchen was the best part of the house to Tukiko. It was larger than any other kitchen she's seen in a house. The cupboards were made of fine wood and the countertops gleamed like a star. That wasn't the case today. Right now, the countertops had pots and pans while flour nearly covered the whole area. Even the sink was a mess. Among this mess stood a brown haired woman in her late thirties. She was covered in flour and frosting on her face. Her gentle smile proved that she was fine with the mess as she mixed a bowl of cake batter.

The woman turned her head to the doorway where the teenagers were. Her brown eyes lit up at the bag full of ingrediants.

"Ah! Did you go shopping on the way home?" she asked.

"No. Miu-chan did," Ryou answered. He shoved some of the pots off the counter in order to make room for the groceries. He started taking out all the ingrediants to put them in their respective places. "She said you looked busy what with the bake sale, so she went to buy the groceries for you."

She glanced over at Tukiko, who was helping Ryou put everything away. A frown worked a way on her face.

"Miu, you didn't have to do that for me. You should be more careful."

"Chisaki, I wanted to do that," Tukiko replied. "I don't want to feel like a burden to you."

"Dear, you're not a burden." The woman, Chisaki, went to her and hugged her as gently as she could. "I was the one to take you in the first place. You are no burden to us. Actually, you're like the daughter I never had giving me the grandchild I _could_ have in the future."

Tukiko swallowed heavily, resisting the urge to cry. Guilt was filling her slowly. How could Chisaki say that she was like a daughter to her? She was lying about her life! Her name wasn't this Miu Ahichu she created. It was Tukiko Uchiha. How could this woman say she was like a daughter when she lied about who she was? Before she could say anything, Chisaki broke away to resume mixing her batter.

"Oh, yeah. I never got to ask but how was your doctor's appointment yesterday?" Ryou asked.

She shrugged, grabbing for the chocolate bar she bought for herself at the store. "It was okay. The doctor said I should take it easy from now on. He said I could go into labor any day now. Actually, he said I might even have my baby this week."

His eyes lit up. "Really? That's great!"

She nodded with a smile. Her hand wandered down to rub her swollen stomach. Thank the gods. She was almost done with her pregnancy. It's been nine months since she started her pregnancy. Now all she had to do was give birth to the child and she would be fine. If only she could give birth now just to get it over with. From what she heard, childbirth is the worst. The contractions, the pushing, and all that stuff. It was supposed to be worse than being near death because you're in so much pain. It made her wonder why only women could give birth and had to endure this pain. Then again, it reassured her that men couldn't give birth because they would die from the sheer intensity of the pain.

The sound of a metal can hitting the floor sounded through the kitchen. Tukiko looked down to see a can of evaporated milk stop at her feet. Instinctively, she bended over to pick up the can. It was difficult to because of her swollen stomach. She managed to grab it when suddenly, she felt a strange sensation between her legs. It felt kind of wet and seemed to trinkle down her thigh. She straightened back up to put the can on the counter, but she hunched over as a wave of pain came from her abdomen. A strangled gasp left her, catching the attention of Chisaki.

"Miu? Are you all right?" she asked, seeing her hunched over form.

Tukiko took a deep breath, feeling the pain fade away. "I-I'm fine," she said. Just then, another, much stronger wave of pain coursed through her. This time she couldn't stop crying out. She nearly doubled over with a hand on her stomach.

Immidiately, Chisaki dropped her mixing bowl and rushed over to her. Looking at the ground, she noticed a small puddle of clear liquid. Her eyes went wide. Then she snapped her head up to a confused Ryou, eyes narrowed in seriousness.

"Ryou, go get the doctor! Miu's going into labor!"

The two teenagers were frozen at her statement. No way. She was going into labor already? Tukiko thought nothing more about it as another wave ripped through her, making her cry out again. At the cry Ryou finally unfroze. He bolted out the front door to get the local doctor. There was no hospital in this village; only a clinic. That meant the doctor had to come there to help Tukiko deliver.

Meanwhile, Chisaki helped Tukiko get up as much as possible and led her out of the kitchen to go down the hall to her bedroom. All the while she was telling her to take deep breaths and try to ignore the pain. That didn't help much. It started to hurt alot. The one thing that streamed through her mind at the time was, _Dear God, please help me deliver my baby safely._

XOXOXOXOXOXP

(A/N: I'm watching _Juno _as I watch this. Good inspiration!)

"AHHH! THIS SUCKS! THIS SUCKS! THIS SUCKS!"

"Okay, Miu! You're doing great. Keep pushing!" Dr. Misawa, Tukiko's doctor, told her.

Tukiko was practically sobbing and screaming from the intense pain ripping through her loins. She was in her room on her bed, sitting up with legs spread open. Thank God there was a blanket covering that private part because Ryou was by her side. He held her hand as she continued to push. Frankly, they were both sure his hand was broken by now. They've been at this for the past four hours. Tukiko was starting to get pissed. How long would take to get this kid out of her! This was worse than any torture weapon Ibiki could cook up. She would rather take that than _this!_ The rumors about childbirth were really true. This hurt like hell!

"C'mon, Miu! You're almost done! The head is about to come out," Chisaki encouraged the young girl, seeing the crown of the baby's head.

She complied, using the last of her energy into a tremendous push. Her efforts were fruitful. The room was soon filled with the cries of a little baby.

"It's a boy!" Dr. Misawa said. She lifted up the baby to let Tukiko get a glimpse of him. Tukiko craned her head up and saw the most beautiful- in one's opinion, ugly- thing she's ever seen. A little baby covered in dark liquid was crying his eyes out. The doctor cut the umbilical cord and took the baby away to go clean him up. As she did so, Tukiko flopped her head down on the pillow, exhausted.

By her side, Ryou took his hand out from under her strong grip. He flexed his hand and winced. Oops. Looks like his hand was either bruised, sprained, or broken. Probably the latter. He glanced at his friend and the thought of his broken hand vanished. Seeing her completely exhausted made him consider she had it worse. With his good hand, he reached down and brushed away her blond bangs from her eyes.

"You did great, Miu-chan."

Tukiko opened her eyes to see him with tired eyes. She tried to smile, only managing a half-smile.

"Thanks. But remind me to never have sex without protection again," she said, yawning. "I'm not ready to go through this again until I'm old and wrinkly."

"Don't worry. You'll know this was worth it in the end." Ryou smiled.

"Thanks."

"Miu?"

The two teenagers switched their gaze to the door. Chisaki stood there at the door with a bundle of cloths in her arms. It wasn't just any blue bundle of cloths. She was smiling brightly at the bundle by the way she held it as if it were made of glass. She walked over to Tukiko with lit up eyes.

"Meet your new son."

Ryou helped Tukiko sit up against her pillows since she was still too weak to sit up on her own. Chisaki handed her the bundle. Tukiko took the bundle into her arms gently and looked down. The air hitched in her throat and stopped. In her arms was a little baby boy. The features were surprising as well. Instead of the black, black hair her family was known for, he had blond hair curls the color of the sun. His eyes were closed in sleep; it was hard to determine the eye color at this point. His tiny hands clutched the cloth gently, but she opened one of them to check if she would have mouths on her palms. To her relief, there were none. Her own silver grained eyes lined with tears. Oh...A wave of emotion over took her. He was the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

"He's...He's..." There were no words to describe this feeling inside her. This was her child. After nine harsh months of carrying around the kid, she finally got to meet her newborn child. Her and Deidara's son.

"He's beautiful," Ryou whispered for her. He smiled in fondness. "So what are you going to name him?"

"Hotaru," Tukiko answered with no hesitation. She was going to keep her promise to Deidara. He knew she was pregnant that time she almost died. He wanted to name their son Hotaru and should she have another child with another, Hikaru. That was his last promise; she intended to keep it. "Hotaru Ahichu."

"Hm...Hotaru...That's a great name."

"Hm..." Tukiko hummed, not really paying attention. All she could do was stare at her new son. He looked so much like Deidara that it made her heart hurt. It's not because the thought of Deidara still hurt. It was because that hole in her heart where Deidara resided was filled. She missed Deidara so much. Having her son, _their_ son, in her arms...It reminded her that he wasn't entirely gone. He was still with her within their son.

Ryou could see that Tukiko had a far away look in her eyes. He silently stood to his feet to not bother her and headed for the door. He stopped, turning to see Tukiko. She needed her rest after those brutal hours of giving birth must have take alot outta her. Besides, he should give the new mother some time with her son. With a lasting smile on his lips, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Oh, Deidara...I wish you were here to see Hotaru," she whispered. Red tears slided down her eyes. "He's going to grow up either like you or me. You would be so proud of him."

She closed her eyes, sleep starting to overtake her. With another long stare at the angel in her arms, she fell into some much needed rest.

As soon as she fell asleep, she never noticed shimmering appearing at her bed side. The shimmers of light appeared in the dark room until they took transparent forms. The forms took on the appearances of Itachi Uchiha and Deidara. The light of the moon outside shined right through them casting no shadows on the ground. They were but spirits.

Deidara blinked, looking down at himself. It was weird to see himself see through like this. He was still getting used to the whole 'I'm a spirit' thing. After awhile of staring, he turned his blue eye to his fiancé lying on the bed with his son. A big smile spread on his face.

"That's my son," he whispered. Walking over to the bed, he stood beside it. His blue eyes noticed how Tukiko had a matching smile on her sleeping face just by holding their child. Their child...What a foreign word. Before he died, he never even considered being a father. All he could think about was living the next day to see Tukiko's bright smile. Although he was dead, he could see that her smile hasn't appeared for what seems like an eternity. Now it's returned because of their son. He stared down at his son, sleeping in the warm comfort of his mother's arms. A laugh almost bubbled on his lips at the sight of his hair. "Looks like he's the first Uchiha to break the whole black hair mold."

"He's also the first Uchiha to be born half and half," Itachi said. He stood at his younger sibling's bedside as well, staring at the two. A smile appeared as well. "I can only hope that my nephew doesn't become art-obsessed like his father is. That would truly break the mold."

"Hey! He would at least have taste!" Deidara bristled at his words. How dare he say that about him? Almost all the Uchihas were indifferent. It was like they were void of any personality. Luckily, his son wouldn't get that side if _he_ had anything to say about it.

Itachi ignored Deidara's expression to stare at his nephew instead. It was a joyous time for them. He actually had a nephew. Granted, he himself was dead so the child would never see him. Knowing Tukiko, she would tell her son all sorts of stories about his brave and heroic uncle who risked his life for those he loved. It was the matter of his other uncle that concerned him. This child, the first one born since the Uchiha massacre and the first Uchiha to be born with a half-and-half bloodline, was brought in at the wrong time, the wrong year. Things were going to get messy now that he was here. His future was also uncertain.

"Things will get much harder from here on out," he stated.

Deidara calmed down and started to think along the lines of his almost-brother-in-law. It was the wrong time for Hotaru to be born. A war was about to begin. One that would shake the very foundation of the ninjutsu system to its very core. Tukiko might have ran away to ensure their child didn't get involved with the ninja world, but it was inevitable. She was a ninja-an important one at that-no matter what she thought. Sooner or later, she would be forced to rejoin the war. What worried him the most was Hotaru's other revenge seeking uncle.

"Sasuke's searching for her," Itachi said in a grim voice. They both knew this fact. For the past six months since this war started Sasuke has been looking for his pregnant twin sister. He ordered his men to keep an eye out for her. It helped when he was in charge of the Oto ninjas still faithful to Kabuto and Orochimaru and that was alot. This was to capture her so he could either kill both Tukiko and the child, or just kill Tukiko. Sasuke and Madara Uchiha knew how important an Uchiha child was no matter who its father was. An child born from an Uchiha woman weilding the Sharingan was bound to activate the kekke genkai themselves. Not many women in the clan possessed the Sharingan; Tukiko was actually the first in many years to activate it. If Hotaru had the ability to gain the Sharingan, he could be trained to use it to his fullest abilities. It would be used for evil under the tutelage of Sasuke. He could train his nephew to hate everything and help him get revenge for what Konoha did the Uchiha clan.

"Damn it! I should've killed that brat earlier!" Anger bubbled from within Deidara. He hated Sasuke more than ever. How could he think about doing this to his own flesh and blood? The gods told them that the child would be in great danger. It was only a matter of what Tukiko would do. She had to protect Hotaru against her twin brother. However, she was afraid to kill her other half. It was that stupid promise that was holding her back! She couldn't kill Sasuke and protect Hotaru unless she broke the unbreakable vow the twins had. He clenched his fists, itching to punch something. "I wish we could do something to help her or warn her about what's going to happen, un! Our kid's going to be in danger because of that bastard twin brother of hers!"

"We cannot intervene. It is all up to Tukiko about what she must do for the sake of your child."

"I know, but..." He sighed. There was no point in arguing. Itachi was right; they couldn't intervene with the living. They were dead. The only way they could help out is if they had some power hidden away before either of them died and only Itachi had such a thing. He hid his powers inside the Kyuubi brat before he died. What this power was, he didn't know. Itachi wouldn't tell him. But whatever it was, it would help out Tukiko and Hotaru as well as the rest of the world. "It's all up to Tukiko and the Kyuubi kid."

Itachi nodded. He trusted Naruto to make the right decision about his brother. It was Tukiko's choice he worried about the most.

Without another word, Itachi let go of his hold on this world. He faded into the night air to return to heaven. Deidara, on the other hand, lingered for just a moment. He stared down at his love and son in frustration. How he wished he could help her. He leaned down and kissed the top of Tukiko's forehead as his hand lay on the top of his son's head.

"Good luck, koi. Do the right thing for the sake of Hotaru, un," he whispered into the night. He, too, let go of his hold on the living world.

Tukiko was alone once again.

* * *

Aw, to hell with it. I'm updating. Wow. I had no idea where I was going with this chapter. I said I was going my own way from the manga timeline. So I ended up doing something like this. I took a few ideas given to me and worked with what I had. I was able to get this chapter done but I'm still stuck on Ch. 30. I'm working on it.

Anyway, how'd I do on the whole village? You want to know why I called it Ribasu? In rough estimation, it means 'Rebirth' village because they're making a new village where the old one used to reside but not quite. Haha. I thought it was good or lame. Anyway, if you're asking about those two-well, three if you count the baby- OCs, I'm still debating on whether or not I should make them super important. I have an idea as to how important but I think I would end up being incredily hated on. No, seriously. If I use the idea I have for that family especially, all of you would want to kill me. I mean it. So should I make them important or not? That's the question I ask!

And then with Hotaru...Well, at least I didn't make it weird. But goddamnit! I wish I could draw! What I mean is, I would totally love to see what Hotaru would look like when he's thirteen. I have a general idea what he looks like but I keep imagining him looking like Sasuke with blond hair and grey eyes (that's his eye color). So I was wondering...Would anyone like to draw what Hotaru looks like? In either baby form or teen form! If this can be done, I swear to God I will love you for forever and a day _and_ make a one-shot of your choice in the Naruto category. Your pick! Plus, that gives me a challenge and I've never had fanart before. I wish I did. If I had fanart, I would get inspiration for this story.

Anyway, enough of my begging! Please review!


	30. Discovered

**Destined to Happen**

Chapter 30

_Voices filled the desolate cavern Tukiko currently found herself in. She wasn't sure how she got into that cave or why she was there. The one thing she noticed in this cave with a hole in the ceiling revealing the night sky was her twin brother sitting on a rock. It was almost horrorifying to see Sasuke after so many months. He was relatively the same as from their encounter months ago. The only difference was the Mangekyou Sharingan activated within his eyes. What made it horrorifying was not only Sasuke's Mankgekyou Sharingan formed there, but her own form was added in. She froze, too scared to breathe. Sasuke didn't seem to see her. Instead, he was staring up at the perfect moon so close in the sky, yet so far away. He looked deep in thought, lips forming words that were spoken to himself but adressed another._

_"I'm so close, Itachi. I'm so close to getting revenge on all those involved with our clan's death," he whispered loud enough for Tukiko to hear. "All I need to do is destroy Konoha and our blood traitor sister before I get it."_

_It hurt Tukiko's heart to hear Sasuke call her a blood traitor. It wasn't like that at all. Sasuke has truly changed since they were children. Nothing was the same about either of them anymore._

_"It's been months since I've last seen her. I knew she hid because of her pregnancy," he continued. He was in his world now. "The whole pregnancy thing has little signifigance to me. All I know is that her child needs to die. That child is born from an outsider father. It may be a half-Uchiha, but that's the whole reason it needs to die. It doesn't deserve to live like its disgraceful mother."_

_Tukiko wanted to speak up. She wanted to tell Sasuke not to blame her son for what she did. No child should be blamed for something out of its control or by their parents. Hotaru shouldn't be judged just because he was a half Uchiha. But she couldn't say anything. This was all a dream, right? This couldn't be real. Yet, it felt all _too_ real._

_Someone else spoke up._

_"Perhaps you should think about what that child can do in the future?"_

_She whirled around to find Madara Uchiha standing behind her. He tilted his head and looked at Sasuke's direction. Tukiko stepped away from the man. This may be a dream, but even then she couldn't stand being so close. He's done too many horrible things already. Hell, she knew she couldn't be in the same room as him without wanting to punch something (preferably him)._

_Sasuke acknowledged the man by glaring at him with his new Sharingan. "What are you talking about?"_

_"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Don't you see? This is the perfect chance," Madara said as if explaining something to a child. "Don't you see what a child born to an Uchiha woman is? How important they are?"_

_He stared at Madara with impatience and confusion. Tukiko felt the same. What the hell was he talking about? Children born from women were always important to families; especially mothers. What difference did one born from an Uchiha woman make?_

_"Wait, you mean you honestly don't know?" Madara, for once, actually sounded surprised. It was like he didn't know Sasuke didn't know something._

_"No. What does a woman giving birth to a brat make?" Sasuke demanded, getting more impatient by the second._

_He narrowed his eyes when the older man chuckled. It sent a wave of shivers down Tukiko's spine. The sound was completely evil._

_"I thought you of all people would know. It's a rare occurence for a woman born into the Uchiha clan to gain our illustrious kekke genkai," he explained. "In our clan men are more likely than women to gain the Sharingan. In the beginning there were many Uchiha women that possessed our unique ability. They were just as strong as the men. However, over time our clan decided we were only to wed our family members to keep the Sharingan within the family. Because of this, the inbreeding actually thinned out our bloodline making it nearly impossible for the women to get the ability. This is important because it was proven that a woman with the kekke genkai is more likely to give birth to a child who will gain the ability as well. That's why your father ignored Tukiko from the beginning. He believed she would never gain the Sharingan; it's been nearly fifty years since a woman actually had the Sharingan. So he decided to wed off his useless daughter to another family, leaving them to deal with her." Madara chuckled again, more rueful and amused. "If your family saw that Tukiko activated her Sharingan, they would've trained her and pulled her out of her engagement. Then they would force her to marry one of your cousins."_

_A look of complete disgust crossed Tukiko's features. She never even thought of that. It was ridicoulous to think that she was engaged to someone from a different clan once, but one from the _same clan?_ That was disgusting in so many ways. She couldn't marry family! That was...It was _incest!_ Sure, she loved her family to death at some point in her life, but not that far! Madara could be right about the whole 'woman giving birth to Uchiha babies' theory, though, and also about the whole thing about what her father would have done. Hands down, he would've done what Madara just suggested. If she stuck around long enough after her sixth birthday and got into some weird accident-such as someone trying to kill her-chances were she would activate the Sharingan. Then her father would've found out, pull her out of her engagement, actually train her to be a ninja, then when she's older find her a future husband within their clan like a cousin twice removed or something like that. The point was he would make sure she would have Sharingan babies. That was worse than being a branch member in the Hyuuga clan like she would've ended up if not for beating her once-husband-to-be. She was going to be used as a baby-making machine._

_Good thing she only had Hotaru._

_Sasuke had the same expression of disgust on his face, either for the same reason as her or another. She couldn't tell._

_"What does this information have to do with my damned sister?" he asked, still not quite getting it._

_"It means, dear Sasuke-kun," Madara said, holding up a finger, "Tukiko-chan will have given birth to her little brat by now. Because of this information, your sister has the next Uchiha heir most likely to activate the Sharingan when he/she is older. He may very well be more powerful than his/her mother and uncles..." He cast a meaninful look upon the other last Uchiha left alive._

_Sasuke got the message being sent to him. At first he looked downright pissed. Tukiko could almost see what he was thinking. How could a useless, weak baby be powerful than him? He was the very man who killed his prodigy brother! Surely, a child just born into the world could be a great threat to him. It was unimaginable! But then he paused, his emotions shifting within those bloody eyes. To Tukiko's surprise, he smirked and let out a harsh bark in what she listed as laughter._

_"Ah, now I see. This child _is_ important," Sasuke chuckled darkly. His smirk grew wider. "I have no intention as of yet to bear a child of my own. Seeing as how my sister has one, I suppose the child will be of use to me in the future. It will help me carry on my revenge against everyone, including its spineless mother."_

_He laughed again, only this time it was not full of humor. It oozed with dark intentions and hate. His laugh echoed within Tukiko's mind as everything blacked out._

x x x

A loud cry awoke Tukiko from her fitful slumber. A sharp intake of air automatically seeped into her lungs, her body slipping up into a sitting position. Alarmed, she took a double-take of her surroundings. Her room was dark and calm. The pale moonlight from outside shined a gentle light to fill the room with some kind of reassurance that no one was hiding in the dark corners of the room. Almost everything was silent if not for the loud wailing piercing from a baby crib by her bed.

Sighing, she slipped out of the safety of her bed and tiptoed over to the crib. She peered over the wooden railing of the crib to see her son, Hotaru. He was clad in a light blue night romper with little stars on them. Surrounding him were all kinds of stuffed animals Chisaki and Ryou bought for him. Next to Hotaru himself was a tan little bird that greatly resembled one of Deidara's creations; oddly enough, it was his favorite. Usually, he would be sleeping curled up next to the stuffed bird. Right now, though, he was crying his eyes out. Tukiko reached into the crib and gently lifted out Hotaru into her arms.

"Shh...Don't cry, my little firefly. Mommy's here," Tukiko gently hummed. She rocked him in her arms to get him to calm down.

He almost instantly calmed down. His cries faded in the night and he no longer cried. Instead, he opened his eyes to reveal wide, tearfilled grey ones much like his mother's were once before. Those eyes, so innocent, were focused solely on her. She instantly felt a swell of pride. If Hotaru ever cried for whatever particular reason, he would immediately stop in the safety of her arms. It was proven what Chisaki or Ryou tried to get him to calm down when he cries. It wouldn't be until Tukiko took him did he actually silence. He would even smile and giggle at the sight of her. That smile and laugh made her as well when she thought of things that hurt. She also smiled a lot more around him.

It was strange to how Tukiko was adapting to being a mother. Hotaru was already three weeks old and yet she still wasn't used to it. Someone was dependant on her for the first time of her life. They didn't use her or anything for something another wanted. He was dependant of her because he was so small and weak. She's never had someone depend on her for something because they loved her. It was strange to know someone loved her unconditionally, not even caring who she was or what she did. Tukiko realized this must have been what her own mother experienced when she first had Itachi. It made Tukiko both sad and happy.

She moved onto the rocking chair next to the crib. Sitting down, she rocked the chair back and forth in a lulling motion. She discovered Hotaru was awake not because he had a dirty diaper or was hungry. He just was. Now here was the job to get him to sleep again. And in order to do this, she usually did the only thing she could think of: sing. A week after she gave birth, she found out he absolutely adored the sound of her voice. Tukiko would tuck him in for one of his naps in the living room where she, Ryou, and Chisaki would talk. Once, she got up to get a glass of water in the kitchen while they were there. As soon as she stopped talking and stepped out of the room, Hotaru started crying. It wasn't until she came back into the room asking why he was crying did he stop and go back to sleep. He wouldn't calm down until he heard her voice nearby. Singing was one of the surefire ways to get him to sleep. So she opened her mouth and started to sing a lullaby she often heard her mother sing to her and Sasuke when they were little.

_Baby mine, don't you cry._

_Baby mine, dry your eyes._

_Rest your head close to my heart,_

_Never to part,_

_Baby of mine._

_Little one when you play,_

_Don't you mind what they say._

_Let those eyes sparkle and shine,_

_Never a tear,_

_Baby of mine._

_If they knew sweet little you,_

_They'd end up loving you too._

_All those same people who scold you_

_What they'd give just for the right to hold you._

_From your head down to your toes,_

_You're not much, goodness knows._

_But you're so precious to me,_

_Sweet as can be,_

_Baby of mine._

_All those same people who scold you,_

_What they'd give just for the right to hold you._

_From your head down to your toes_

_You're not much, goodness knows._

_But you're so precious to me,_

_Sweet as can be,_

_Baby of mine._

_Baby of mine_

As the song ended, Tukiko smiled when she saw Hotaru fast asleep in her arms. It was a cute sight to see her child sleeping peacefully in her arms as he should be. At least he got to sleep like this without a care in the world. She was glad he could sleep in such a way; for once, she would give anything to sleep like that. Everything's been stressful lately. She always had to watch out for any sign of somebody finding her. It was driving her crazy.

Before Tukiko knew it, she was crying silently. She wouldn't say it aloud, but she missed everyone. Kakashi, Naruto, Sai, Neji, Sakura, she even missed Lee yelling out about the passion of youth! They were her family through and through. Part of her hoped that they did find her. She wanted their reassurance that everything would be fine, she wanted to hang out with them and laugh and have fun again. She…She…wanted to go back to Konoha. For the first time in months, she wished she was back home with everyone else. If only she could, but there was Hotaru to think about now. She would sacrifice her happiness for the sake of her child's. At least she knew how her mother must have felt if someone messed with her children

She let out a huge yawn. It was too early to think about this. She was going back to bed. Now that Hotaru was fast asleep, Tukiko put him back in his crib next to his precious bird. A smile lingered on her lips as she saw how he snuggled it. Aw! How cute! Rubbing a sleepy eye, she stagger back into bed and pulled on her covers before falling into a dreamless sleep.

XXX

Her foot stomped down on a tree branch, nearly breaking it. The leaves of the tree rustled silently around her in the morning light as she hopped from tree branch to tree branch. Tukiko was heading in a straight random line with no real destination. A grin played on her lips. Man, she forgot how much fun this was! She let out a giggle as she swung her body around like a monkey. This was so exhilarating!

It was early in the morning-six to be exact-and she was out in the forests surrounding Ribasu. She was out here for some exercise like she did before she found out she was pregnant. After six months of practically doing nothing but lying around and stuffing her face, she was way out of practice. Two days after giving birth, she went out for her first run around the town in a long time. She was only able to do fifty laps out of the seventy she gave herself. That was another thing she found out. Not only were her muscles soft, her stamina was down by half. This upset her greatly. It took years to get into that kind of shape. It would take her forever to get all of that back now! So now she was training herself to the point of exhaustion to get back to her original strength. Since three weeks have passed already, she was getting her stamina back at a fast pace. Maybe she would be back in shape in a few months? Who knows?

She hoped greatly that she would get back to normal soon. That dream from earlier was haunting her thoughts. Was it really a dream? Or was it some kind of vision telling her what was planned for her future? What was even strange was that she thought she knew what Sasuke was about to say next in that dream and what he was thinking. This was strange because it greatly resembled the mind link the two possessed almost four years ago. But that was impossible! That link was broken…right?

She sighed. There were many things she didn't know and would probably never know. No need to worry about the insignificant stuff now. Looking up at the sky past the tree tops, she saw the sun already well into the sky. It was time to go home. She leapt off the branch she stood on. Her body twisted gently as she landed gently on the ground like a cat. With the added momentum from the landing she went ahead to run straight towards town. If one were to see her, they would only see a rush of blonde hair and white clothes.

Her speed helped her get all the way to the town in less than a couple seconds. Once the sight of the village fence came into view, she slowed down to a walking pace. Everyone here was a civilian. If they caught sight of her having an incredible speed not many civilians have, they would assume the worst of her. Ninjas weren't exactly well liked around here. They destroyed the original village of Whirlpool because of power. They escaped from their original homes because of ninjas. It was crucial for her to hide who she was from these people. They may have liked her, but that could all change within a second as she well knew. Tukiko walked past the fence and into the heart of the town, the market. There, everyone was smiling and waving at her as she passed by. The village was like one big old family; everyone knew their neighbors. Some even stopped her to ask her questions relating to Hotaru.

"Miu-chan, I heard about your baby boy! Congratulations!"

"Miu-san, when can we see your newborn?"

"I bet he's so cute, Miu-san!"

By all these comments, it was obvious to see it was mainly women who stopped to talk to her. They all wanted to see the newborn. Tukiko was a beautiful woman among the young men of the town. If so, they could only guess her son would gain his mother's beauty. With each comment Tukiko would reply, "Thank you" and keep walking. She wasn't in the mood to gossip with the housewives of this village. There were many things that Tukiko wasn't interested in, and gossiping was one of those things. She could understand the importance of gossiping for ninjas. They could easily get information that way. But when girls-civilian ones at that-would gossip she couldn't fathom why they would need to know one thing of what someone does or something. It didn't make any sense to her.

Tukiko soon got to the house she was currently staying in. She smoothed down her hair and dusted off any type of dirt on her clothing. No speck of dirt should be seen. She didn't want Ryou or Chisaki asking why she was dirty. If they asked why she was out so early, she could say she wanted to go out for a walk. Once dusting off any speck of noticeable dirt, she opened the front door and entered.

"I'm back!" she called out, taking off her shoes then walking down the hall. She padded over to the last door at the end of the hall that would lead to the kitchen area. When she drew closer to the door she could hear obvious loud crying and a panicked voice.

"Please don't cry! I'll do whatever you want! Ugh, I wish you could tell me what's wrong."

Tukiko rolled her eyes and pushed the kitchen door open. Past the door, she saw Ryou quickly rocking Hotaru in his arms. Hotaru was screaming his lungs out. Chisaki was nowhere to be seen. Ryou looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown, but then saw Tukiko standing at the door.

"Miu! Thank god! He's been crying for an hour and won't stop! I have no idea how to get him to stop," Ryou pleaded. He practically ran over to Tukiko and gently shoved Hotaru into her arms. This made Tukiko roll her eyes again.

_Men. They simply weren't made to take care of kids. No wonder women are the strongest to give birth_ and_ take care of kids, _she thought. Unconsciously, she started to rock Hotaru while humming to him. His cries lessened in a matter of seconds until he was hiccupping. He stared up at his mother with big, adorable grey eyes. She stopped humming once he stopped crying and smiled cheerfully.

"There now. Are you done torturing poor Uncle Ryou?" she cooed at the little baby. Hotaru giggled adorably like he knew what she was talking about.

Ryou took a seat at the kitchen table and frowned. "You know that's not right, right? I swear Hotaru is going to be more like you when he's older."

"Are you saying _I'm_ not a nice person? That' hurts, Ryou." She mock sniffled and used her free hand to place a hand on her heart. "Hotaru, can you believe this? Uncle Ryou doesn't like Mommy. But you love Mommy, don't you?"

Hotaru cooed and blinked. It was still a good enough answer for Tukiko. She smiled, hugging him close, and went to the kitchen counter where there was a bottle of baby formula waiting for her. She held the bottle to Hotaru's mouth. Immediately, his tiny hands gripped the sides of the bottle and sucked as much of the formula as he could. Tukiko took a seat nearby as he drank.

Ryou smiled at the scene. "Who knew the bipolar girl has a soft side?"

"Everyone has a soft side to them, even the emotionless ones," Tukiko said. "It's not like emotions make people bad. They prove a person is human. Otherwise, life would be incredibly dull."

"You mean like how old people start talking about the old days?"

"Almost. Only their stories are dull. Not all old people are boring. Some of them can actually be cool."

"That's true," he agreed. He suddenly snickered. "Although, I've heard the Uchiha clan is full of emotionless people, but you certainly proved that idea false."

Tukiko's grip on the bottle slackened. It felt to the ground with a loud clatter. The glass bottle shattered on contact, all of its contents spilling to the ground, but she made no move to clean it. Instead, she slightly turned to face Ryou with eyes filled with terror. Hotaru whimpered at the loss of food in front of him.

"Wh-What did you just say?"

Ryou stared at her with a confused look. It took him a minute to register what he just said. He cursed loudly, slapping his head. "Oh, shit! I wasn't supposed to say that!"

"Why do you think I would be associated with that clan? I've never even met them," Tukiko said. She was at a loss of words. Ryou spoke about how her clan was full of emotionless people. How could he even know that? Why would he think to compare her to them when she didn't resemble them at the least.

"Um…Um…" Ryou was at a loss of words as well, it seemed. He wasn't looking at her in the eyes and was fidgeting in his seat. He was panicking, she suddenly realized. The way he looked around the room as if looking for inspiration was similar to when Naruto lies to avoid getting bashed on the head by Sakura. It was so easy to see. "I've…heard about them. In some rumors around town. You just seemed like you're, you know, like them."

"You're lying." She fell back a step towards the counter behind her. Her hands tightly gripped Hotaru to her body like he was a shield. Hotaru only looked up at his mother, feeling like something was bothering her. There was something wrong. She knew Ryou was lying. Being a former ANBU, she knew all the signs of lying when she saw it. "You're lying, aren't you, Ryou? You know something about the Uchiha clan! You can't have heard anything about them around the town. They don't talk about ninja clans like that!"

"You're right. He does know about them, because I told him," a voice said from the doorway.

The two teenagers swerved their heads to Chisaki. She leaned against the doorframe with one of her hands gripping her other arm. A sad look was present in her eyes towards Tukiko.

"Chisaki?" Tukiko whispered. Her eyes started to sting around the edges. "How…You know about them?"

"I do. I also know who you are, Tukiko Uchiha."

Tukiko tensed at the sound of her real name. No. This couldn't be. She was sure to be careful about saying her real name in this village. Hell, she's barely even spoken it! How could Chisaki, this sweet woman, know her? She opened her mouth to deny all this, but Chisaki held up a hand to stop her.

"Tukiko, you don't have to lie. I already know about your identity from your status as a ninja straight down to your assassination skills," she said gravely.

"Mom, what do you mean?" Ryou asked in astonishment.

She heaved a heavy sigh. "Take a seat," she said to Tukiko. "It looks like I have some explaining to you."

"I'd prefer to stand," Tukiko retorted rather coldly. It was just like her traveling days in her childhood. The moment she knew people knew her name without her exposing it, she couldn't trust them to do anything.

Chisaki looked at her like she wanted her to listen to her, but dismissed it. There was nothing she could do about that. She herself took a seat by her son while Tukiko hovered close by with Hotaru clutched protectively against her breast. Ryou stared between the hard look in Tukiko's grey eyes to his mother's brown ones.

"Mom, what do you mean 'assassination skills?' I thought Tukiko was only a normal ninja," he asked.

"No. What I want to know is how you know who I am and what I did," Tukiko growled. Without much restraint her eyes turned a bloody red that hasn't been seen for six whole months. Their intimidating glare were aimed at the woman who sat in front of her. "Start talking before I get even more pissed than I already am."

"Alright. I'll tell you." Chisaki closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Two weeks after you arrived in this town, a man with a metal plate inscribed with a leaf came." Tukiko tensed up again. "He was asking around, looking for a young girl named Tukiko Uchiha. She had the same descriptions as you did, so it wasn't hard to connect the dots. However, I already had a feeling before the man came. The reason I suspected you were an Uchiha was because I used to live in Konoha myself before Ryou was born. I grew up in Konoha for most of my life. I had many friends there from all the different clans, including from the Uchiha clan. She was a sweet girl, despite what her clan was like. We were the best of friends regardless of which clan we both came from." She opened her eyes and laughed in remembrance. "We were as different as people could be. I hated violence and fighting while my Uchiha friend was such a tomboy. She loved to fight with boys while I liked to pick flowers. Our goals were so different as well. I wanted to just live a peaceful life while my friend wanted to become the village's best kunoichi. Even though we were different, we were friends." She turned to Tukiko with a sad smile. "You remind me a lot of her, actually, although I do not know why."

"What was the name of your friend?" she couldn't help but ask. Curiosity was killing her.

"Mikoto Uchiha. She was such a great friend. I was sad to hear about the death of the Uchiha clan." Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "She was such a good person. I still don't understand how she could have died."

"Mikoto Uchiha?" Tukiko gasped. Red tears gathered around her own eyes. "You…knew my mother?"

Chisaki's tears disappeared at the news. "You're Mikoto's daughter?"

She nodded. "I'm not her only child. She had two others. Two sons named Itachi, my older brother, and Sasuke, my twin brother."

She laughed. "I figured as much. When we were younger and thinking about our futures Mikoto would always tell me if she had a daughter she would name her Tukiko because she loved the night sky and the moon. Instead of going with the usual name of 'Tsukiko', she decided to be different and name her daughter 'Tukiko.'"

Tukiko laughed. That sounded just like her mother. From what she remembered from her past, she could remember her mother went out of her way to be different. Like when they were dressed for a feastival her mother made sure that she wore bright colors contrast to her husband's usual dark. That was one of the things she loved about her mother.

"Your mother...She was a good woman. It's sad to know a strong woman like her died as such." Chisaki sighed, feeling the tears again. She smiled at Tukiko and Hotaru. "I'm happy to see her daughter identical to her in most ways. I hope that good heart you inherited will be passed onto your son."

"Thanks, Chisaki."

"Wait, I don't understand one thing," Ryou said. Tukiko almost forgot he was there; he's been so quiet. He stared at his mother. "Why did you leave Konoha in the first place if you grew up there?"

"Things were starting to grow that involved me and Mikoto's friendship. Her family didn't want her to be friends with the likes of me, who was a descendant of one of their greatest enemies."

"Greatest enemies?" Ryou and Tukiko chimed together.

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Ryou...You might not know this, but...Our family is descended from that of the Senju clan. I'm, technically, supposed to be the great-granddaughter of the second Hokage, Tobirama Senju."

"EH!" They exclaimed loudly. They were soon silenced once Hotaru started to cry. He didn't like the loud noises coming from his mommy and her friend. Tukiko quickly hushed him by rocking him back and forth. All the while, she thought in shocked silence.

"I thought the Senju clan died out all except for Tsunade. I didn't even know that the Second Hokage had any kids!"

"Legally, he didn't. But he had an affair with a woman in Konoha that led to my grandmother's birth. Because my great-grandmother didn't marry Tobirama, we're not actually heirs. Everyone in Konoha knew that I was a descendant of Tobirama."

"What about, you know, his special ability? I heard he was famous for water jutsus when no water was around," Ryou stated. Tukiko raised her eyebrow. He sheepishly smiled. "I may not know much about ninjas, but I know a lot about legends. I'm just wondering if it was passed down to you or me?"

Chisaki shook her head. "Unfortunately, it wasn't passed on. My grandmother, nor my father, gained the ability the Second Hokage possessed. Neither have we."

"Oh. Well, who needs an ability like that? I don't even know any of those ninja techniques and those things you do with your hands." Ryou put his hands together in a failed attempt to make a hand seal.

"Ryou, you fail at that," Tukiko laughed at his miniscule attempt. "Here, let me show you a jutsu." She gently handed Hotaru over to Chisaki. Then, taking a step back, she made a hand seal. "Kage bunshin no Jutsu!"

There was a single pop and smoke in the air. Suddenly, as the smoke cleared, an almost exact copy of Tukiko appeared next to her. The only difference was that this was an image of Tukiko _before_ her pregnancy with her long raven hair and a lot more fit. Ryou gasped in surprise.

"Whoa! Miu, is that you?"

"Yup!" Tukiko answered. She walked around her double with a studious eye. The copy smirked back at her, flicking her hair back. "Man, I forgot that I looked like that myself."

"But I do look good with blond hair," the double complimented. "Even though it's completely dyed, I did a good job of dying it so it looked natural. But it does kinda resemble Deidara's hair color."

"Good to know I can still use jutsus." She made another handseal that made the clone disappear. A hand lifted up to her lock of blond hair. "I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my black hair."

"You look amazing either way," Ryou said with a dropped jaw. "So you really are a ninja. But why did Mom say you had 'assassination skills?'"

This time, Tukiko fidgeted. "Ryou…I know you hate violence and killing, but you have to know this final piece of who I am. I'm not just Tukiko Uchiha. I was the ANBU captian and assassin Bloody Swallow."

Ryou was stunned; she couldn't blame him. He, like the rest of the village, knew about some of the worst ninja assassins out there due to stories brought in by new residences. Tukiko hoped they didn't know about her second identity as the Bloody Swallow, but they did. Most of the people in the village didn't take kindly to that particular assassin. Actually, they bad mouthed her at any chance she came up in conversation. It was sad, really, that Tukiko had to bad mouth herself in order to not be discovered. She could only realize that this was all an information overload on him. She was an Uchiha, who lived as a ninja and killed so many people. This must have all been a bit too much to grasp.

And like she expected, Ryou's eyes rolled back and slumped over the table. Chisaki and Tukiko stared at him for a second. Then a giggle came from Hotaru. This made the two woman giggle themselves.

"My, I forgot how fragile he can be," Chisaki laughed.

"He's a great guy, but he has a weak heart," Tukiko snickered. She sat down next to Ryou, poking at him. "Should we leave him here?"

"I think, it be best to leave him where he lies. He won't be too happy, though."

She nodded in agreement. Her grin started to fade as she thought of her new situation. She's been discovered as a ninja in a non-violent town. Was she going to be kicked out? "Chisaki, you're not…Are you going to kick me out?"

Chisaki jumped. "Heavens! Why on Earth would I do that?"

"Because I'm a person who lied, cheated, stole for my own selfish reasons. Most people don't even like having a killer in their home. I'm not the greatest person to have," she sheepishly admitted. All of this was true. Why would someone as nice as Chisaki keep her here? She was probably going to kick her out.

"You're right about that," she started. All could Tukiko could think about was how she was going to kick her out. She did something totally unexpected; she smiled. "But I won't do something like that. You can stay."

"What?" Tukiko gaped at her. She just learned she killed multiple people with no doubt in her heart. Why in the world did she act so calm? "But why? You know I kill people as a job! You should be kicking me out! Hell, I even _lied_ to you about my name!"

"You did lie, but it was the only way for you to start a new life. From what I know of ninjas, many gave up their hearts for their own selfish gain. You, on the other hand, kept your heart. You sacrificed that kind of life in order to make sure another would stay pure." Chisaki's eyes traveled down to Hotaru, who was grabbing a lock of her hair and playing with it. "Not many would do such a thing to ensure their own children's lives."

"Chisaki…" Tukiko's eyes filled up with tears. After so many lies and living a lie, Chisaki would still keep her there. It was so nice of her. She could never repay her. Those tears fell from her eyes like red droplets. "Th-Thank you so much."

"It's no problem. After all, we mothers have to stick together."

"Yeah. We have to for whatever may come."

Tukiko was glad that Chisaki would allow her to stay, but she still felt like something was off. Things felt like they were about to get worse instead of get better. Things that she wouldn't like and would make her go back into her ninja life once again.

XXX

Again, I apologize for my lateness. It's been awhile, hasn't it? Well, that's life for you. School's starting to kick the crap out of me. I'm in Junior year at school. Now to some of you, it may not seem like much, but it is the worst year for high schoolers where I go. There's this thing called an 'American Artist' project where you choose a certain individual artist who either lived in America or has influenced the American arts. You also have to make sure they influenced other famou artists. Everyone hates this project, including me. It's the most stressful time because you have to do all this research during the entire year while keeping up your grades. If you fail this project, you don't graduate. I ended up choosing Charlie Chaplin. I love him because he is funny, but I hate researching him. I can't find any secondary sources on the guy online! That's what's taking up so much of my writing time because I'm always looking! So if anyone could be a good person and give me some advice on where to find some online sources? And they have to be legit. That way, I can write more.

Ugh, gotta go do more research. Please review!


	31. Escape

**Destined to happen**

Chapter 31

"Left, right, block!" Tukiko called out these moves as Ryou attacked her. He was doing fairly well until she decided to just end this little 'fight'. She blocked one of his punches, then grabbed his wrist. Twisting it slightly to not hurt him, she flipped him in the air. Ryou hit the forest ground on his back with a loud 'thud!'

"Ow! Miu, I thought you said you would go easy on me!" he groaned.

"Sorry, I forgot how fragile civilians can be," she shrugged. She continued to stretch out her muscles and warm herself up. Ryou groaned, picking himself off the forest floor. He rubbed his tender back.

"Explain to me why I agreed to take on a self-defense course taught by you?" he questioned.

"Beats me. If I remember correctly, you're the one who wanted to do this training session."

Exactly a week after Tukiko's secret came out, Ryou approached her with a proposition. He asked her if she could teach him self-defense. This confused her entirely. For the entire time she's known him, she knew Ryou was a peaceful-type of man. Everyone in town knew this. Ryou could never hurt a harmless fly or a stinging bee. She voiced this to him, asking why he would want to learn. He simply blushed and said, "I feel like a wimp knowing you're stronger than me. It makes me feel less…manly." At his response she burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. All men she came to know always had a problem with her being stronger than them or equal in power. It amused Tukiko greatly. However, she meant no offense and agreed to the training sessions. And that's where they find themselves in the forest for. Unfortunately for Ryou, he had no idea what Tukiko's training courses were like.

"Can we go back now? I still need to recover from that last hit," he whined, rubbing all the forming bruises adorning his body.

Tukiko huffed. "Oh, fine. I wanted to get some more training in, but I guess we can go. Besides, I didn't realize how late it got." True enough, the sun was already starting to set in the forest. They've been training there the whole day without realizing it. Chisaki was probably worried about them by now. She bent forward and offered Ryou a hand. "Come on. We better head back before Chisaki kills us for staying out late again."

"I guess you're right. Mom's been on edge lately." He took Tukiko's hand. She pulled him onto his feet easily and together started to walk out of the forest.

They walked in near silence, the sounds of their crunching feet upon the leaves the only thing heard. Tukiko was in front of Ryou trying to get all the dirt off her clothing. Ryou was doing the same.

"Hey, what did you mean when you said Chisaki's been on edge?" Tukiko finally asked remembering what Ryou said.

"You never noticed? She's always jumping at the smallest noises and seems like she never wants to let Hotaru out of her sight when you're gone," Ryou explained. He tapped his chin in confusion. "Mom doesn't usually get nervous at small things. I don't even know why she's like that in the first place."

"I see your point. And now that you mention it," she paused. She could recall seeing Chisaki being on edge lately. Chisaki's been all jittery and acting like something could pop out of nowhere and kill them. What was going on with her? "Why is she acting like that in the first place?"

"I don't know, but we should ask her about it."

The two made it to the village in good time. They entered the village just as the sun was setting. Walking through the village, Ryou and Tukiko were talking about what they should have for dinner. However, they started to notice how all the villagers around them were surprisingly quiet. Around sunset, everyone would be ready to end the day. That meant they were moving things around. Right now, everyone was quiet as if death approached the village. Not only that, all of the villagers were staring at them as they passed.

"They're all staring at us," Ryou commented.

"I know. It's starting to creep me out," Tukiko said. The stares were uncomfortable unto themselves. She also had this horrible feeling in the bit of her stomach that wouldn't go away. That feeling was telling her to get home right then and there. "Let's get home. I get this bad feeling from this for some reason."

Ryou tried to respond. Tukiko already grabbed his wrist and started to run the short distance home. In less than ten seconds they made it back to meet with a horrific surprise. On the front of their house were tons of scratch and scorch marks. The front door looked almost busted down and all the windows broken. What shocked them the most were the blood stains on the front doorstep like someone marked their house as death. The two couldn't believe it. Their village was supposed to be peaceful. How could the house look like a tornado and a hurricane hit the place alone? Only one thought crossed their mind through their shock.

_Oh, no…Chisaki and Hotaru!_

Tukiko bolted into the house, ignoring all the damage made. As she entered she saw that the interior of the house was in an even worse state. All the chairs were either overturned or dismantled and there were scratch marks everywhere. She wasn't sure if a skirmish occurred in the house or what. All she knew was something did happen.

"Chisaki? Chisaki!" She ran through the house in a crazy frenzy. She was yelling for Chisaki desperately. She wanted to know her baby was okay. There was no way she could know Hotaru was safe until he was in her arms.

After running around the house in a frenzy, Tukiko found no sign of them. By this time she was ready to cry. That is, until she heard a sound coming from one of the closets. She ran to the closet and yanked it open. To her great relief she found Chisaki on the floor of the closet with Hotaru in her arms. By the tear stains on both of their faces, something must have happened.

When Tukiko opened the door Chisaki's eyes were wide with terror. They relaxed at the sight of the blonde haired girl and tears gathered at the edges.

"Oh, my goodness! Tukiko, you're back!" Chisaki cried in immense relief. She handed Tukiko her child and stood, wiping away her tears.

"Miu, what-Mom, are you all right?" Ryou came from around the corner to see the two girls in his life crying. He rushed over to his mother, checking her for injuries. "What happened? The house looks like a mess! Did someone attack?"

"I-I don't know," Chisaki answered truthfully. "I was getting some milk for Hotaru since he was hungry when I heard a strange noise in the front of the house. I went to go check to see what it was before there was a banging noise like someone was trying to break in. As soon as I heard it I started to become afraid. I quickly grabbed Hotaru and hid within the closet. It was certainly lucky I did for not a second later I heard the sounds of broken objects outside. Hotaru also managed to stay quiet as if he knew there was something wrong. We stayed in there long after until you found us."

"Who would try to break in?" Tukiko asked, forcing herself to stop crying.

"I don't know, but I heard them talking. They said things like 'where is that Uchiha's kid?' and 'we're gonna be rewarded greatly if we find the kid for Lord Uchiha.'"

"Shit," she cursed silently. Someone found her. Well, that wasn't supposed to be a surprise seeing as how Chisaki knew she was an Uchiha. How did they know she was there specifically and which 'Lord' Uchiha were they talking about? Either way, it couldn't be good.

"Someone found where you are, didn't they?" Ryou asked despite already knowing the answer.

"Someone did. What am I going to do? I refuse to bring Hotaru into the war." No. No way in hell was she letting some stupid ninja kidnap her son to be used as a pawn in the war. It happened with Itachi before. Now look where THAT got him! Probably six feet under the ground! God, he must be rolling in his grave if he realized his own brother was planning on using their only living nephew as a tool for war.

"Can't you just keep hiding?"

"I can't. They know where I live and probably have a means to keep tracking me down. How the heck did they find me in the first place?"

"I don't know. But you're right. Hiding is a wasted effort should you continue," Chisaki agreed. She stared off into space, biting her lip. She looked troubled. "Maybe...perhaps..."

"Mom, you have an idea?" Ryou asked.

She nodded. "I may have one, but it's risky for all of us."

This piqued Tukiko's interest.

"What's your idea?"

"If we used a doll and disguised it as Hotaru, Tukiko could leave the town with it by herself, and then lead the pursuers away, while the real Hotaru would stay here. If posible, the 3 of us could then meet up at the small village of Tsuri. It is 15 miles south west of here. From there we all disguise ourselves, and board a boat to Spring country, or Tukiko can make some shadow clones and carry us all there..." Chisaki suggested.

Ryou and Tukiko glanced at each other in worry.

"I don't know. I mean, I like the idea, but are you sure that would work?" asked Tukiko. It was a pretty good idea if she said so herself. Yet, she was worried about it as well. So many things could go wrong with a plan like that. She didn't know how many shinobi were after her or hunting her down. She'd hate to put Chisaki and Ryou in danger because of her. What if they got hurt? She would never forgive herself if something happened to either of them.

"It's all we have. None of us can stay here any longer. Those men know you live here with us, and they will use us against you should the need arrive," Chisaki said, her voice cracking at the end. "It would be best if we were all to leave as soon as possible."

"But, Mom, won't they keep chasing after us? Where will we go where they could never get to us?" Ryou asked, considering the different worst case scenarios.

She sighed. "I do not know, but I am sure we'll figure something out along the way. Now, we must gather everything we will need. Tonight, we shall leave the village."

Reluctantly, the two teenagers nodded. Ryou went off to go find some backpacks they could use to store their belongings while Tukiko went into her room. In her room it was in a worse state. The bed was slashed to pieces as stuffing from the mattress was scattered on the ground. Hotaru's crib was far better, albeit the railing was gone and parts of it were broken. The stuffed animals were all but torn save for Hotaru's favorite, which lay under the bed. Tukiko placed Hotaru in the crib, retrieved the tan bird from under the bed, and placed it next to her son. Hotaru had fallen asleep, oblivious to his mother's distress.

Tukiko sat on the edge of her bed, nearly collapsing. Too much had happened in the past hour. She was worried, scared, and above all angry all of this had to happen. How could Sasuke do this to her? She wanted nothing to do with this war and certainly did not want her son to be used as a weapon. All she wanted to do was forget she was a ninja to begin with and try to live a normal, peaceful life. Was that so hard to ask for? But, she could never forget. Whether she liked it or not, she would always be a ninja in the eyes of everyone who has ever known her. No matter how much she ran away she could never escape her past. She sighed, curling into a ball.

_I wish I had stayed in Konoha now_, she thought ruefully. At least in the village they would know what to do when she was in danger. There was nothing she could do now. She was going to have to have two civilians place their lives on the line to ensure she and her child never fell into the wrong hands. _Although, how long will that last until we are caught? Knowing Sasuke, he'll never stop. All I can hope is that we all come out unscathed from this._

Tukiko could only pray that none of them will be hurt in the end.

XXX

Those last few hours they had in the village passed by all too quickly.

It was around midnight the three were standing at the edge of the village boundaries. All three carried a bag on their backs and cloaks to sheiks them from the weather. However, only two of them held a bundle in their arms.

"So you remember what routes you'll be taking?" Tukiko asked nervously. She pulled her hood closer to cover her eyes and hair. She was so nervous.

"Yes, Miu. Now, stop worrying. You're making me nervous," Ryou said, lightly laughing.

Tukiko nodded, not trusting herself to talk. Oh, no. Her old habits were returning. Each time she was on a mission and was uncertain about things she would stay silent and jumpy to everything. Her squad members used to tease her for it, knowing she was nervous by the way she said nothing. She took a deep breath, willing her heart to stop beating loudly.

"We need to get moving," she stated instead. "It would be better to try and get them off our tails as soon as possible. I'll head out first. Wait for at least ten minutes before you set our yourselves."

Chisaki nodded. "Be careful, Miu."

"I'll try." Tukiko glanced down at the dark bundle in Chisaki's arms. She saw Hotaru sleeping peacefully in her arms. Leaning down, she kissed the top of the babe's head. "Don't worry, little one. I will never let them take you away."

Sighing, she turned on her heel and ran into the forest.

The forest was incredibly dark compared to her usual early morning runs. The sky was dark as if hiding from the world like she tried to do. Above the trees rustled disturbed by the late night escape Tukiko was making, warning her of the dangers it held within the darkness. As she ran with the bundle in her arms the night air was cold-different from the summer night. She tried not to think about the elements, only concentrating on the task at hand. Tukiko kept her ears out for any other strange noises that wouldn't belong in the forest. Many times she almost tripped from how nervous she was running through the dark unprotected.

Tukiko wasn't sure how long she ran for, but she knew she was starting to get tired. Her stamina wasn't what it used to be because of her pregnancy. The morning training did not help much either, it seemed, once she began to pant hard. After all this was over, she swore she was going back to the tiring training schedule she used to be on. That is, if she survived this first. She wasn't sure how far she ran either. All she knew was that she was passing by many trees and a few streams that led out into the sea. For a second, she wasn't even sure if anyone was following her. Sending out a quick chakra flare to check the surrounding area, she was more than surprised to feel two chakra signatures following her closeby. And to her misfortune, they were gaining on her.

_Damn it! How far out of practice am I?_ she silently cursed. She wasn't in any condition to take on ninjas. This could be bad if they managed to gain on her this quickly. _I need to think up a new plan to throw them off my trail...That's it!_

Quickly thinking up a plan, Tukiko jumped high into the trees to hide behind the trunks above. She masked her chakra (which she was glad she could still do effectively), forcing her breath to even out. She held it when she heard two silent thumps on the dirt below.

"Damn it! Where'd she go?" a man cursed loudly.

"Tch. No wonder Lord Uchiha warned us to be cautious. That girl is still good regardless of her recent lack of strength," a woman's voice said. Tukiko could almost imagine her sneering at the thought of praising her.

"You'd think she would be slowed down by that brat of hers."

"I thought so as well. Unfortunately not."

The man growled in aggravation. "What the hell does Lord Uchiha need with the kid in the first place? He put up such a high reward for it."

"Who knows? All I do know is that he wants the girl to kill himself. Just another satisfaction for him when we win the war." The woman laughed in glee so sickening Tukiko thought she would be sick. "Just think of all the glorious things that we'll have once Lord Uchiha defeats those pathetic Alliance rats."

"It'll be great! I was getting sick of all their power in the first place before the war. They're so afraid of Lord Uchiha and Lord Kabuto they had to hide their Jinchuurikis," the man agreed, chuckling.

_What? They had to hide Naruto?_ Tukiko thought, eyes widening. She wasn't keeping updates on the war like everyone else. She was just so worried about her son's safety. Well, they DID suggest using that plan of action during the Kage meeting. Who knew they actually went with it? She smiled at the thought of Naruto being completely pissed off about being kept out of the action. He wasn't the type to stand on the sidelines when there's a battle going on. _It was for the best, I suppose. He might be reckless enough to get carried away in battle._

She was so caught up in her thoughts she almost missed the next piece of their conversation.

"Although, I'm creeped out with all those dead bodies we're using to fight," the woman said. "I know Lord Kabuto is strong, but how did he have enough chakra to summon over thirty people back from the dead?"

"Who knows? It's not like they can get killed again. Besides, as long as we're not the ones out on the frontlines I'm fine with it."

"I guess. I mean, who'd want to be in a battle where you can get blown to pieces like that stupid bomber from the Akatsuki?"

"You gotta admit having the Akatsuki back from the dead and on our side is so much easier. They're doing the dirty work for us."

_What? Madara is using people he summoned from the dead to fight in the war?_ Now, THAT she had no idea about. Tukiko was horrified at this new information. How the HELL did he get his hands on a technique that can bring people back from the dead? Then, she suddenly remembered a name they used earlier. _Kabuto! That bastard joined up with Madara! Then, that must mean he's using one of Orochimaru's techniques. What was that one he used against the Sandiame back during the Chunin Exams? Oh! It's the one he used to bring the Shodiame and Nidiame back to fight. That must mean he brought back the Akatsuki to life! And they mentioned a bomber as well...He's back?_

Tukiko couldn't stop the surprised gasp that escaped from her mouth at the prospect of Deidara coming back from the dead. Because of this, she instantly gave away her position. Realizing this, she prepared to run again. She jumped off the branch she stood on as it was broken by a sword. She landed on the ground on the balls of her feet to help break the fall only to face her two trackers. Through the dark, she could make out the headbands around their heads bearing the Oto village sign.

"Well, well! The little girl was hiding here after all, hm? You're not like anything I imagined you to be, Bloody Swallow!" the woman laughed, putting herself into an offensive stance to attack. "Gotten soft after the birth of your brat, eh?"

"I wouldn't start gloating if I were you," Tukiko advised, smirking. However, she felt anything but confident. She was supposed to act like she was carrying Hotaru with her to lead them away from the real one with Chisaki and Ryou. That obviously meant she had to start running. This was going to take awhile. "Do you really think you have what it takes to bring me back to your precious 'Lord' Uchiha without a fight?"

"Like you can fight with that dead weight you have." The man sneered, gesturing his sword over to the bundle she held which contained the doll that looked like Hotaru.

"Look, little girl. You can either hand over the kid and leave or you can die and we still take the kid. Your choice."

"Wow, you're actually giving me a choice? How generous!" Tukiko said, rolling her eyes. She put a finger to her lips and tilted her head as if thinking. "Hm...How about neither! Later!"

With her free hand she quickly made the hand seal for the Shushin no Jutsu. Chakra welled up within her as smoke appeared around her, allowing her a quick getaway. The two were distracted by the smoke long enough for Tukiko to start running again. She was trying to at least put some distance between them, but unfortunately it wasn't long before they were close behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw them withdrawing throwing knives from their compartments and sped up faster. She winced when a shuriken sailed close to her head, nicking the edge of her hood.

Tukiko tried to dodge many of the weapons as best as she could, constantly looking over her shoulder to see where they were going. She considered using a jutsu to try to slow them down or at least make a shadow clone but she didn't have enough chakra for that due to using her chakra to make herself faster. If this happened many months before she found out she would become a mother, she would be able to take them on and kill them as easily as snapping her fingers. However, she couldn't. Even using her Mangekyou Sharingan, which hasn't been used in_ months_, would only drain her more than helping her. For once in her life since she was twelve, Tukiko was between a rock and a hard place. She couldn't do much in her state.

The chase couldn't last forever. Tukiko began to realize that as she began to get slower and slower in her efforts to dodge and run. So distracted by this was she that she didn't notice the man appeared in front of her until it was too late. All she saw in front of her was a flash of silver, the sudden pain as it slashed into her arm, then the sense of weightlessness as she fell to the ground. Startled, she had no time to rebalance herself in the air when she hit the ground. The shock made her release the bundle. It bounced a few feet of where she lay, clutching her bleeding arm. The two Oto shinobi were upon the bundle before she could move.

The woman was the first to pick up the bundle. She was smiling sadistically at Tukiko.

"You're not as tough as I thought. You can't even protect your own child!"

Tukiko bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to smile. Idiots.

"I don't know. I wouldn't start bragging if I were you," she warned them, shakily standing to her feet. She inclined her head to the bundle. "Do you really think I would carelessly let drop a new born baby?"

"What?" The man reached over to the bundle to rip aside the cloth. His features twisted in fury while the woman glared at the doll that lay in her arms. "You bitch! You tricked us!"

"Gotcha!" Tukiko couldn't stop the triumphant laugh that left her lips. They were fools! How could they not notice the doll had no chakra in it? Every living creature had a chakra signature to them; even underdeveloped ones. "Did you really think I would put my child in danger? I'm not stupid enough to let him be caught and used for God who knows what!"

"Then where is he?" the woman demanded.

"Who knows? Probably long gone by now." She shrugged nonchantly. She tried to act if she truly had no clue as to where Hotaru was. Her acting was a crucial part for Ryou and Chisaki to make their escape. All she had to do was escape these two failures of Shinobi so she could go meet up with them.

However, she grew worried when the two glanced at each other and smirked.

"So that was your plan all along. It's a good thing we split up," the woman commented, almost laughing.

Tukiko felt like she was electrified. Split up? No! They had more people with them? Then the others must have went after Chisaki and Ryou! This wasn't part of the plan! She knew things would go wrong with this plan. There were too many holes in it that they didn't consider other possibilities.

As if to put more salt on the wounds, another cloaked man appeared next to the two Oto Shinobi. There was a shrill cry that came from a small baby. He shoved a bundle he held in his arms to the woman.

"Make that brat shut up! He's giving me a headache," he growled, disgruntled.

The woman frowned at being the one charged with the baby. But one glance down at the baby in her arms and she smiled like a cat got a canary. "Hm, blond hair? Not very Uchiha-like, is he?" she cooed. "Where was he?"

"Two weak villagers had him. They were trying to leave the village shortly after you two left to chase after her." He gestured over to the frozen Tukiko. "It wasn't that hard to get him. All I had to do was knock them out. If it weren't for Lord Uchiha's rule of no killing people from that village, they would be dead."

_No,_ Tukiko moaned in her thoughts. They were two steps ahead of them. She was thankful Chisaki and Ryou were all right, but she and Hotaru wouldn't be any time soon.

The first man snorted. "Did they really think they could escape that way? We've been after this kid for weeks! Let's hurry up and bring'em to Lord Uchiha."

"Oh, no, you're not!" Tukiko growled. Her motherly instincts were starting to kick in. There was no way in HELL she was letting her child to be taken from her and raised as a weapon! Anger welled up inside her like no other. It also triggered her right hand to start emitting a loud pitched sound akin to bird chirping as blue sparks danced across her hand. She prepared to tackle the woman holding Hotaru. However, she was forced to stop when the woman pulled out a kunai and held it above her child ready to stab. She grinned at Tukiko maliciously.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't even try, little girl. One false move and your little brat gets it."

"You bitch," Tukiko growled. How dare they! Who threatens to kill an innocent babe like this? Of course, that was the way Shinobi worked, but every single Konoha Shinobi know that killing children was the lowest of low. She certainly didn't do it. "What is your leader planning on doing with Hotaru?"

"Who knows? He could be raised as an obident soldier for him later in his life." The second man shrugged as if it didn't concern him. "All we were ordered to do was capture the brat and bring you with us."

"To what? Die at your leader's hands?" she scoffed. "What makes you think I'll go with you willingly?"

"Perhaps the death of your precious child will change your mind." The woman raised the kunai and almost stabbed down on the crying bundle if not for Tukiko's shouts.

"_No_! Stop! Okay! I'll do what you want!" Tukiko felt herself shaking at the thought of her even harming Hotaru. A feeling like no other prompted her to yell her to stop, knowing the feeling would break her apart if she saw Hotaru get hurt in any way. Her hand stopped the jutsu, wringing with her other hand in intense worry. "Just please...Don't hurt him. I'll go with you as long as you don't hurt him."

"Motherhood made you soft, Bloody Swallow," the first man commented, scowling in distaste. "Ichirou, tie her hands up."

The second man, Ichirou, nodded. He moved forward to grab Tukiko by her arm. She resisted the urge to flip the man onto his back and step on his throat to crush it. That wouldn't be a good move on her part. He brought out some wire seemingly out of nowhere to tie both her wrists together in front of her tightly. Then, he pushed her shoulder over to the other man and woman.

"Here. Take your brat and shut him up. He's giving me a migraine," the woman said, sniffing in distaste. She shoved Hotaru into her arms. Tukiko almost dropped her child because of it. She glared at the woman, but started rocking Hotaru to calm him down despite the situation. His cries soon drifted into little hiccupping, his onyx staring up at his mother as if he knew of the danger they were in.

Once that was done, the two men each grabbed Tukiko by her arms on both side and forced her to walk. The woman stayed behind her in case she tried to run. Tukiko cursed. For once she was unable to escape from such simple shinobi. And it was here she realized being a mother was both the greatest gift and the greatest curse. Because of it, they knew her biggest weakness and rubbed it in her face.

Sometimes, being a mother sucked. Badly.

* * *

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the chapter that you've all been waiting for! I know it took forever to get this up, but I was having problems with ideas. I don't have very much at the moment and would _really_ appreciate any ideas. There is no idea too stupid or insignificant! Plus, I was almost losing hope on this story because I thought it looked silly compared to other amazing ones that are well-written. Thankfully, reading an infamous fanfic dubbed the _worst_ fanfic in internet history AKA My Immortal made me see at least I did better than that piece of trash. If any of you have read it, you'll understand what I mean.

Well, not much to say here. Please review and PM me any ideas you have for these last few chapters!


	32. Captured

**Note: I'm going to pretend that three months were the entire buildup to the war and the last three were nothing but constant battles. It will be kind of like both World Wars as I do have enough knowledge of both. And the war doesn't end in a month like I'm going to think it does here.**

**Destined to Happen**

Chapter 32

Over the course of six months the war had taken a heavy toll on the great Shinobi lands. Or at least, Tukiko saw that with each town they stopped by. The few towns they had stopped by during the night were like ghost towns. Everyone had abandoned their homes to escape the war front that was sure to come knocking at their doors at any moment. Shinobi on missions, they could handle. Shinobi wars, on the other hand, were an entirely different level. What were once large lively towns were reduced to mere ghost towns because of this war. Tukiko had no doubt what the shinobi on the front lines were a far worse experience.

For a week and a half the Sound shinobi dragged her from the land of Whirlpool onto a boat set for Land of Hot Spring where the war front was said to be taking place. The Sound shinobi were adamant on getting to the Akatsuki hideout to deliver her to their Lord Uchiha and Lord Kabuto in a short amount of time. They didn't even care that Tukiko had to rest in order to feed Hotaru. All they told her to do when she voiced this to them was to shut up and be glad they even allowed her to feed the brat in the first place. If her hands weren't bound and didn't have Hotaru, she would have killed them. As it was, she had no choice but to obey them.

On their eleventh day of their journey, they were already within the Land of Hot Springs. For some strange reason all three of the Sound shinobi seemed on edge. It was only strange because the entire trip all they could was brag about having caught the infamous Uchiha girl to her face. She wondered what could have spooked them that bad.

"Shit. We have to go through there?" the first male, Yoshitaka, said incredulously, pointing to a forest. The sun was starting to set as the group stood in front of a forest entrance. The trees were dense and seemed to grow even more so deeper down the path they planned to take. The setting sun behind them made the forest appear to hide those that hid in the shadows just waiting for prey.

"Don't be such a pansy," the woman, Akane, snorted at her teammate's weakness. "Nothing bad is going to happen. I don't see why you're so scared."

"And you're not? The battles have spread as far as here."

"That's it? You're afraid we'll get caught in a battle? That's nothing! They'll most likely ignore us."

_I wouldn't be too sure. I'm scared, too,_ thought Tukiko nervously. She may not know anything about being in a war, seeing as how she grew up in a peaceful life, but she was pretty sure anyone on or looked to be on the enemy side were killed on sight. Should they encounter anyone on the Alliance side, as the five Shinobi villages were called, they would most likely kill the Sound ninjas. On the other hand, if they met with the Akatsuki side they had to make sure they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. By what she heard of the Sound ninja's stories of the undead army, no one was safe. They could be ruthless if they wanted to kill their enemies. She clutched the sleeping Hotaru closer to her breast. _I hate Sasuke. I hate Sasuke for forcing my child into danger._

It was without a doubt Tukiko truly hated Sasuke the same way he hated Itachi. If she ever saw him, she wouldn't be able to stop flying into a rage.

Behind her, Ichirou nudged her.

"Get moving. It won't be my fault if you die because you were too slow."

Tukiko growled. God, she hated being ordered around. Since she couldn't snap back without endangering her son, she clamped down her retort and marched into the forest behind Yoshitaka and Akane.

The forest was much scarier the moment they began to walk down the path. The trees seemed to have absorbed any and all light that tried to penetrate through their covers. There wasn't even the sound of birds to accompany the on coming darkness, which made the experience a whole lot worse. Everyone in the group was tense, expecting some huge animal to come and attack them out of nowhere. Every other moment, Tukiko would jump each time she thought she heard something in the bushes. She was starting to get nervous. What if they did get caught in the middle of a battle? There was no way she could survive if she was too busy trying to protect Hotaru. She hated this so much. Why couldn't she have gone farther than Whirlpool country? That way, no one would have been able to find her. Both of them would have been much safer elsewhere. All the more reason to hate Sasuke, she guessed.

The sun had finally set, forcing the entire forest to plunge into impenetrable darkness. The Sound ninjas decided, some time into the night, to stop and rest once they found a moderate clearing. They decided to do so for their own safety. No one would be foolish enough to move when the war front was close by. More likely than not, enemy ninjas could appear and kill them. That was also why they didn't light a fire, either.

Tukiko sat with her back against a tree trunk, beginning to nod off while Yoshitaka and Ichirou were standing guard. She was so tired. She wasn't used to traveling like this or in these conditions. Too much stress from being kidnapped and the fear of meeting Sasuke and Madara drained her of the energy she needed for traveling. She closed her eyes, expecting to fall into a dreamless sleep for at least half an hour when a sudden noise jeered her eyes wide awake.

She snapped her head to her left where she heard rustling noises. The Sound Shinobi did the same, standing to their feet with weapons at the ready. Tukiko stood to her feet and turned her Sharingan on to see if there was anything there that was a danger.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Akane demanded.

There was nothing but the rustling of the bushes. After a few seconds of it, something jumped out in front of them. All three Sound Shinobi threw their knives at the target. Whatever it was let out a chattering noise before fleeing into the darkness. They all sagged their shoulders in relief.

"God damn. I can't believe we got worked up over a freakin' squirrel," Yoshitaka sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"This is doing nothing for my nerves," Akane muttered, shaking her head. "Let's move on. That squirrel might have a bigger friend somewhere."

Ichirou laughed. "Like what? A bigger squirrel? Not many animals move during the night. Only humans do."

Suddenly, something jumped out of the bushes exactly where the squirrel came from and pounced on Ichirou, who had his back turned. Tukiko couldn't see very well through the dark, but she could see whatever it was it was huge. It pounced on Ichirou, who began to scream in pain as the monster bit into him.

"Shit! Ichirou!" Yoshitaka cursed. He was about to go help his comrade when a loud yell interrupted him.

"Passing fang!" A strange whirlwind tore from the tree tops to smash into Yoshitaka. It slammed him through several trees and into the darkness.

"Damnit! An ambush!" Akane swore profusely and was by Tukiko's side in an instant. She pulled at her arm, ignoring the cries Hotaru was beginning to emit the moment Ichirou screamed. "Get moving, Uchiha! You're more important than saving those two idiots!"

"You'd rather get your reward than help your comrades?" Tukiko said in angry disbelief. She struggled against her, only pausing to see a glint of a knife pointing at Hotaru. She glared in her general direction. "You make me sick."

"So the feelings mutual." Akane forced her forward, nudging her to run. But when she nudged Tukiko forward, there was yet another yell.

"Eight trigrams: Empty Palm!"

A blast of wind came out of nowhere to hit Akane. Tukiko managed to jump out of the way before she was hit by the all too familiar jutsu. She searched through the darkness, hearing the sounds of battle and screams of those who were either killed or hurt. This wasn't good. It was too dark out to tell who was who. If she were to be hit by a stray jutsu, that meant Hotaru would get hurt as well. Besides, now that the three Sound ninja were occupied she could take this chance to escape. With her Sharingan still activated she could see the chakra signatures of the few people around her. They were all preoccupied. She turned to run into the forest when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Tukiko, wait! It's me!" shouted the familiar voice of one of her dear friends. Whirling around, Tukiko could make out who was it. The sounds of battle soon faded as a torch was lit. Now with light, she could see who stopped her.

"Neji!" Relief flooded her system at the sight of her friend to the point of exhaustion. She sighed, smiling. "Hyuga, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you. Where have you been for the past six months?" Neji demanded, slightly angry. "Do you know how worried everyone was when they found out you were gone? They thought you were kidnapped by the Akatsuki?"

"When don't I worry everyone?" Tukiko muttered quietly. It was the same old story. Everyone was worried about her every time she does something reckless. They were so overprotective of her to the point of smothering. Neji frowned and she rolled her eyes. "I ran away from the village for my safety. I couldn't stay in the village anymore."

"And yet you got caught by Sound ninja?" a new voice said out of the darkness. Kiba stepped into the light of Neji's torch with Akamaru behind him. He had blood on the front of his clothes but didn't look particularly hurt. He turned to Neji. "Those Sound guys were pretty weak. They didn't put up a fight when we ambushed them. How the he'll did you get caught by te likes of them?" he asked Tukiko.

"Considering I have no chakra and the fact I have a baby in my arms is a good reason, Inuzuka," Tukiko growled. She held up Hotaru in her arms, who managed to calm his tears into hiccups once fight stopped. Both boys glanced down at him and gaped. She refrained from rolling her eyes. Were they blind? She had a huge bundle in her arms for a reason.

"Wh-What the hell? Why do you have a kid with you?" Kiba sputtered.

"I don't know. I just happened to give birth to him which is why my chakra sucks at the moment."

"Birth? So what Sakura told us was true?" Neji asked, his eyes narrowing at Hotaru.

"Depends. What did she tell you?"

"That you got knocked up by an Akatsuki member. Dude, did he rape you or something?" Kiba growled. It turned into a whimper when Tukiko kicked him on the thigh. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For being stupid! I didn't get raped! Deidara would _never _do that to me without my permission!" Tukiko was quickly losing her temper. How dare Kiba suggest Deidara raped her! He loved her too much to lose her trust that way. He never did things unless she gave the OK. She noticed Neji's frown deepen, and she scowled. "Do not start lecturing me about how completely irresponsible I am. I don't care. What's done is done and I want to go home. Speaking of which, why are you guys here?"

"Where the hell have you been hiding, under a rock? Don't you know there's a war going on? You're near one of the battle fronts of the war," Kiba informed her, rubbing his thigh. He cried out in pain when she kicked him in the knee. "Ow, damnit! Stop hitting me!"

"I'll stop hitting you when you stop saying stupid stuff. I was hiding somewhere where civilians hate ninjas. So the battle front is somewhere around here?"

"Correct. As of now, though, it is quiet. During the night, both sides stop fighting in order to rest. At least, our side does."

"Ah, the business about the living dead." She bit her lip. "Is it true? That Madara Uchiha is using many of the ninjas who have fallen in this war?" They said nothing. She took this silence as their confirmation. "I see. I'm assuming their death count is nothing compared to our side?"

"Yeah. This war has gotten pretty over the last couple months. I can see why everyone hates the wars before this," Kiba said in an almost exhausted tone. Tukiko was surprised. He was usually full of energy, but he seemed both physically and emotionally tired. The war was a heavy toll, indeed.

"I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head.

"What are you apologizing for?" Neji asked, astonished.

"I knew there was going to be a war going on, yet I still ran away from the village. I should've stayed to help out with the war. I'm sorry." She was angry at herself for leaving the village yet again. Sure, she ran from the village for all the right reasons, but the fact she left her friends to fight this war didn't bode well with her. She was such a coward.

"Yes, you are a coward," he said. Tukiko flushed. Oops. She didn't mean to say that out loud. He stared at her affectionately despite his harsh tone. "You ran away from the village instead of facing the consequences of your family, and eventually your own. For as long as I've known you all you've ever done was run. It's selfish of you, Tukiko Uchiha But...This last time was not your fault. You left to the protect the life of your child. This child," he gestured to Hotaru, "is the current heir of the Uchiha bloodline. No doubt the elders would have sent you away in order to protect one of the last Uchihas. I would have as well."

"That says something about me. They'd only protect Hotaru to save one of the clans," she muttered darkly. The elders would've been concerned about that matter. Hell, they would overlook the fact his father was in the Akatsuki! They would kill her after he was born for being a traitor and fraternizing with the enemy.

"Maybe, but I bet Tsunade would have protected you. You should have seen her when Sakura told us the news about your pregnancy. She was freakin' scary!"

"What did she do?"

"The elders heard about you being pregnant at the same time as everyone else," Kiba said. They suggested that you needed to be found and brought back so they could keep an eye out on you. Then after your kid was born, they would take him away from you and offer you up as a sacrifice to the Akatsuki since we heard Sasuke's hellbent on killing you. Tsunade went ballistic. She said she would abandon the village before she would let them sacrifice you and keep your kid."

"But we're at war!" Tukiko exclaimed, horrified.

"That's exactly why people were trying to find you and protect you. Tsunade ordered them to."

She fell silent, unable to say a word. Tsunade was trying so hard to find her after all that time. She didn't even care she was having the child of an Akatsuki member or the heir of the Uchiha bloodline. She wanted to find her. _Her_! The girl who was a coward and ran from everything in her life when it became too hard. At this point Tukiko thought she wasn't worth any of the effort anymore. All she did was cause trouble for everyone.

"I'm sorry," she finally said.

"For what?" Neji asked.

"A lot of things. I'm sorry I'm such a coward, I'm sorry I fell in love with the enemy, and I'm...I'm sorry Hotaru was born at the wrong time."

Kiba and Neji exchanged a look. One thing they both knew about Tukiko was that she was sometimes too proud to apologize. In order for her to apologize sincerely she had to be feeling guilty. This...It sounded as if she regretted a lot of things-things she never said out loud.

"We don't have time for this," Neji sighed. He could feel an on-coming headache as usual when around Tukiko. "Tukiko, you must come with us back to base. At this point there's no doubt Madara and Sasuke know you are alive. You will be safer at the base and will be protected properly."

She nodded. It was pretty late. After a long time of traveling after not doing so in over nine months, she was exhausted.

Kiba suggested, to make it to the camp faster, for Tukiko to climb on the back of Akamaru and let her ride him. At first she protested but considering she was exhausted as was Hotaru she agreed. Riding on Akamaru was a new experience for her. He never was fine with people riding on him except for Kiba. Akamaru must have guessed the precious cargo she carried because he went slower than she usually saw him. For this she was grateful.

On the way to camp Kiba and Neji updated her on what's happened in Konoha. Tsunade woke up and agreed to the alliance between the five shinobi villages. Gaara, of all people, was the general of the Alliance army while the other Kages were commanders of their own special divisions. At first the differences between the villages caused a strain on the army. Eventually, they were able to put those differences aside and work together against the threat of the nations. They were fighting the war, yet it didn't seem in their favor at all. They lost many of their soldiers in the first month alone compared to the Akatsuki faction, who were using the dead as their army. Things weren't looking so good even with the two Jinchuuriki joining the war.

Tukiko also told them of what she's been up to the last six months. She told them of her stay at Ribasu village and Hotaru's birth. She also added how she made Neji Hotaru's godfather, much to his embarrassment and joyful surprise. Finally, she told them of an Uchiha ordering the Sound ninja to kidnap her and take Hotaru from her.

"But why do they want him? He's only a few months old," Kiba said, running beside Akamaru.

"The reason why the village elders wanted him. He is the Uchiha heir. No doubt because of a father from the powerful Akatsuki and a mother from the prodigy clan Uchiha he will be powerful as well when he is older," Neji reasoned.

"That, and he's more than likely to inherit the Sharingan and activate it," Tukiko added, frowning.

"Damn, you were right. This is the worst time for him to have been born," Kiba whistled. "I bet Sasuke's pissed that you already have an heir, huh?"

'You have no idea,' she thought. He was more than pissed. He was downright livid. He was almost on the verge of killing both of them if it weren't for Madara convincing him otherwise.

"When we get back to camp we must contact Tsunade. She will know where to place you until this war is over," Neji said.

"Excuse me? Don't you mean where to place Hotaru?"

Neji abruptly stopped on a tree branch. Seeing him stop, they did as well. They looked behind them to see why he had stopped to find him glaring at Tukiko.

"What do you mean by that? Are you are suggesting you fight in the war as well?" he asked in barely contained anger.

"Of course I am. I knew this war was going to happen in the first place. I was there when he declared war! I'm not going to stand by and let other people fight for me. That's not who I am," Tukiko said. From the looks of Neji's face growing ever angrier, he was completely against this.

"How much more irresponsible can you become? You have a child to worry about!"

"I know that! Why do think I want to hide him again?"

"That's not what I meant. You're a mother now, Tukiko. How could you consider leaving him behind at a time when he needs you the most?"

"I'm not leaving him. I'm protecting him."

He rolled his eyes. "So you think fighting in a war you may very well die in is protecting him? You would leave your child knowing he may become an orphan?"

"Neji, just stop it, okay? Don't you dare guilt me into not fighting," she said, nearly on the verge of frustration. "I'm not going to leave Hotaru-not now, not ever. But you don't realize something. If we're together, Sasuke's going to find me faster because Hotaru is slowing me down. If we're separated and he finds me first, that would give everyone more time to hide Hotaru. I want to protect him, not leave him forever."

"How can you be sure that'll work?"

"Trust me. It will."

"Uh, guys? I hate to break up your lover's spat, but I'm smelling something rotting," Kiba growled.

Tukiko raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Neji cursed. "Damnit. They're here."

"What's here?"

"Troops from the Akatsuki army. Shit!" He activated his Byakugan and cursed yet again. "We have a problem. They're closing in on us and fast."

"Then let's hurry to the camp!" Kiba exclaimed.

He shook his head. "These aren't normal troops."

"Who is it? It's not like any of them are normal."

"No, it's worse. It is Madara Uchiha."

Tukiko was stunned. Madara? He was coming after her himself? This wasn't good. No, this was terrible. He was after Hotaru. No, she couldn't let that happen. He's already taken so much from her. He wasn't going to take her only child from her. No way, now how.

She climbed off of Akamaru, who whined at what she was doing.

"Tukiko, what are you-" Neji started to say. He was cut off when Tukiko shoved Hotaru into his arms. He stated down at the child, then at her. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Neji, promise you'll get Hotaru to the camp safely. I'll lead Madara off your trail," she explained.

"You can't do that! You'll get killed!" Kiba protested with Akamaru whining in agreement.

"I have to do this. Madara is after Hotaru, not me. If I start running, he'll think I have him. That'll give you enough time to get back to the camp." Tukiko looked at Neji with desperation in her eyes. "Please, go. I need to give Hotaru his best chance he has in this life. How can he get that chance if he isn't free?"

He stated at her with a frown. She held his gaze to express she needed to do this.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Tukiko nodded. "I'm sure."

He sighed. "Fine. Go lead him off our trail."

"Neji, you can't be serious! You can't let her do this," Kiba argued. He fell silent at his glare.

"It is her choice. She is right. Madara will suspect she is the one with Hotaru. She will buy us enough time to give Hotaru the protection he needs and reinforcements."

Kiba glanced between Neji and Tukiko. He looked as if he wanted to protested against it so badly. In the end he growled in defeat.

"Fine! Go ahead and get killed! Just don't die before we can rescue you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Tukiko said, smiling. With a quick glance and a silent goodbye to Hotaru, she sped off into the night.

Too soon, for her tastes, she finally felt the chakra signature chasing after her. It was become closer and closer, meaning they were gaining after her. Tukiko pushed herself to run faster. She jumped onto another tree branch when she sensed something behind her. Twisting her body to press against the tree trunk she watched a body fly past. However, she soon found herself pinned her cloak against the tree by shuriken and kunai knives. She reached over to pull out the weapons before she felt the cold kiss of a blade on her throat.

"You've lost your touch, Tukiko."

"You..." There was no mistaking that voice. She glared into the eyes of Madara Uchiha after nearly six months. Although he looked different with his new mask and she could see both eyes (one had the Sharingan, but she was shocked to see the Rin'negan in the other), there was no denying that the man who stood before her was her evil ancestor. Who should be dead, she might add.

"Long time, no see. I see you haven't changed that much." With his free hand he reached over to Tukiko's hair. She flinched back, but her head slammed against the wood. She could do nothing but stay still as he fingered a lock of hair. "Blond hair suits you. I'm sure your new hair color is the same shade as Deidara's."

"What the hell do you want?" Tukiko growled.

"Not happy to see me? I bet Senpai would be happy to see you."

"Bastard, don't you dare talk about him," she hissed, twisting her head away from him. "Deidara is dead. Your organization killed him."

"No, Sasuke killed him. I had nothing to do with it."

"But you were there when they were fighting. You should've stopped them."

"But Deidara-senpai told me not to get involved. What else could I do?" Madara said innocently in his alias' former childish voice. She winced. How could he say it in that tone? Did he have no shame sounding like a little kid? What self-respecting man acts like that? Especially in the proud Uchiha clan?

"You make me sick," she hissed.

"And I don't care how you feel. Well, I do in a way. After all, you gave birth to your first child when you're only sixteen. Speaking of kids, where's your little off from above? Surely, a mother wouldn't have abandoned her own child from her first love?" he asked as if mildly shocked by the idea. "Are you sure he's dead? Or has he simply been..." His fingers tugged on her hair to the point it was painful. She flinched as he leaned in towards her ear. "Misplaced?"

"I'm not telling you anything, bastard! You're not getting Hotaru if it's the last thing I do!"

"Hotaru? So that's the brat's name, hm? You will tell me where he is."

She laughed tonelessly. "Or what? Kill me? Go ahead! You can torture me to the point where I won't remember even my own name. But you'll never, NEVER get information on where my child is."

That wasn't true at all. She did care if he was going to kill her. Not for her own life, but her child's. She didn't want him to grow up without at least a mother like she was forced to before he even knew her. However, she cared more about his safety than her own well-being. Tukiko nearly blanched out. Everyone was right. She was starting to get soft. Where did this maternal instinct to sacrifice her own life to her child come from? She always knew it was there, but not to this degree-to give up her life for her son's. And for some reason, she didn't care.

She was ready to die for him.

A shiver went down Tukiko's spine when Madara chuckled darkly. He let go of her hair and leaned back. His mismatched eyes sparkled dangerously through the dark.

"Really? We'll see about that," he cryptically answered.

She gasped at a strange sensation rushing around her body. It felt as if her cells were being seperated and compressed. Everything around her seemed to spin out of focus. The last thing she saw was Madara's menacing eyes and the strange patter in his Sharingan. Then, suddenly, the world snapped back into place.

Tukiko fell into a crumpled heap, panting heavily. Okay, that hurt. It felt like she was suddenly squeezed through a tight tube. Shaking off the odd sensation, she lifted her head and was astonished. Instead of the dark forest she was in a strange world surround her. Strange white blocks dominated the world while the sky was a deep black like a starless night. There wasn't even any real color. The only color there was from her blonde hair.

"What the hell?" Tukiko uttered aloud. The words echoed throughout the empty space into the dark abyss. Where was she? Where did that bastard send her? She suspected he had dimensional powers, but not to this degree. Did he send her to another world or dimension or something? A surge of white hot anger crossed her. "Madara Uchiha, you bastard! Let me out!"

Her yell was unheard but to her. He wasn't here, nor could he hear her wherever he was. She ran a hand through her hair. Great. She was trapped. Wherever she was there was no escape unless Madara decided to let her out. Whether she liked it or not, she was his prisoner. Tukiko slid down to her knees, gazing at the floor. Surprisingly, she wasn't that afraid of her capture as much as she thought. Instead, worried thoughts of another filled her mind.

'I hope Hotaru will be all right with Neji and Kiba,' she thought. Hotaru was just a baby. He didn't deserve to go through any of this even if he would never remember it. Would he truly be safe in her home village when so many wanted the Uchiha heir? She wasn't there to protect him. She could only hope Tsunade would protect Hotaru in her place. Because where she was going, she had a feeling she was never going to see him again.

* * *

So here's the next chapter. Sorry if it took five months to actually finish it. I was busy with school and life. Not much to say here.

Please review and have a Happy Holiday!


	33. Rescue

**Destined to Happen**

****Chapter 33

Tukiko waited in the strange world she was dropped in. To her dismay there truly wasn't any kind of escape as far as the eye could see. In fact there wasn't anything but square blocks as the ground as far as the eye could see. It was so frustrating!

She blew a lock of her hair out of her face, scowling at the black sky. This was pure torture. She had no sign of escape, she was hungry, and she was pissed. When she got her hands on Madara she was going to kill him twice over. How did he manage to get her in this strange dimension in the first place?

_That bastard. There are two many factors about him I don't know_, Tukiko thought to herself, worrying her bottom lip. All she truly knew about the guy in the mask was that his name was Madara Uchiha. No one knew what he really looked like or what his powers were. In fact the only reason they thought he was Madara was because he had a Sharingan and he said so. Everyone else just assumed he was Madara. _Something about this bothers me. What, I don't know._

What was it about Madara that bothered her so much? Why was he hiding his face from everyone? Why, after all these years, did he choose to reveal himself to the world? Why now? Why, why, why...

Tukiko was broken out of her thoughts by the air shifting around her. She gasped as she was suddenly pulled through that tube again. All too quickly the world shifted to that of another-one with grey stone walls of a cavern she had only seen in her dreams. She fell to her knees. Before she could even catch her breath, a hand forced her arms behind her to tie tightly with a wire. Another hand grabbed the back of her head by her hair, drawing a pained gasp from her.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," chuckled a familiar voice.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of who she recognized as Kabuto. However, he was barely recognizable with eyes so scarily familiar to Orochimaru's as well as skin tone. The snake-tail did nothing to help with his image.

"Kabuto," she hissed. "I never thought you idolized Orochimaru that much to image yourself like him. Sad your 'master' is gone?"

"Ah, such a sharp tongue as always, Tukiko. I'm nothing like Orochimaru. In fact I'm better than him. I may have an appearance like him, but my goals are different. Much different."

"What, world domination? Rule the nations with an iron fist? Decimate the entire population to how you please it? I've heard it all before. You hate everything so much you want EVERYTHING to die."

Kabuto laughed. It was high and bitter with no amusement at all; only pure cold hate.

"You couldn't be far from the truth."

"Then, enlighten me."

"Why should I? Someone like YOU would never understand what I'm trying to achieve with the help of Madara Uchiha," he said as if speaking to a child. Tukiko couldn't help but notice how he adopted a mocking tone once he spoke Madara's name. He flashed a smirk to the very man who stood off to the side. This alarmed her.

If he wasn't the one behind her, then who...?

"What do you want from me?" Tukiko demanded. There were two things they could possibly want from her: information about Hotaru's whereabouts and her Sharingan. Both were valuable because Hotaru was the heir to the Uchiha blood and a possible weapon. Her Sharingan was at its final stage-something anyone would want.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kabuto walked to her as if he owned the place. Catching a glimpse at Madara, who said nothing since she appeared, it could have been true. Madara would be the one here mocking her, not Kabuto. Something was seriously wrong. He lifted a hand to her face to force her to look at him. A snake-line grin spread on his lips. "Where is Hotaru Uchiha?"

There was a strangled gasp directly behind her. It was so familiar she thought she was imagining it.

This time she said nothing. She glared into Kabuto's cold yellow eyes determinedly. She would not say a word about her child in this man's presence. They would have to rip the information from her to do it. Her silence merely made the grin to widen.

"Not a word, then? We'll see about that." Kabuto drew something from his sleeve. He moved too quickly for her to see what it was before there was a sharp pain through her abdomen. She cried out, the pain blooming as fast as the blood that poured out. Then, the pain was suddenly gone. She would have been relieved if not for a stinging sensation to race throughout her body from the wound. She had to bite the inside of her lip from responding to it. "I suggest you tell us where that brat has gone."

"I'd rather die!" she yelled, a mixture of both pain and rage.

"That can be arranged. The poison I injected into your body should kill you well enough. Within the next ten hours you'll be dead before you know it. We don't have to worry about the poison creating enough pain that will make you scream for us to make it end. It will render your body useless, making it nearly impossible for you to move." He stared down at her cruelly. "Only I have the antidote. If you tell us where he is, I can make it all end."

"End what? The pain or my life? Either way, I'm dead! You're just going to kill me after I give you the information, anyway. I'm taking my information to the grave."

"A pity. Looks like you'll be joining your beloved brother and lover soon. Then," he chuckled, "I'll resurrect you and force you to fight those you hold near and dear. What better way to cause you pain beyond the grave then forcing you to kill those you love who still live?"

Tukiko's eyes widened. He was going to use the Edo Tensai jutsu on her once she was dead? No! Killing her was bad enough. She would never get to see Hotaru grow up to the man she wanted him to be. But to rip her from her eternal rest to force her to kill those she loved...! There was nothing worse than that!

Kabuto snapped his fingers. "Deidara, take her to her cell. Madara, I believe there are things we must discuss with the new development in the war."

Madara nodded. He glanced at Tukiko, staring blankly at her. Moving towards an arch he disappeared into the darkness with Kabuto right behind him.

The hand in Tukiko's hair released itself before grabbing her wrapped wrists. She was pulled up to her feet and forced to walk towards a different archway. With the ability to move her head around again, she glanced over her shoulder to see a shocking sight.

"D-Deidara?" Tukiko felt her heart stop. Then, felt it break upon seeing the greyness of his once tan skin and cracked everywhere. "They used the Edo Tensai to resurrect you."

"Not only me, yeah. The rest of the Akatsuki except for Konan and Hidan," Deidara replied. He smiled bitterly. "Never thought we would be meeting again like this. When I said I was going to see you I meant when you were old and lived a long life; not old enough to give birth to our kid."

"I..." She couldn't help but laugh. After so long, she forgot he could be witty at times. But she had to stop when pain rippled across her chest. Breathing slowly through her nose she let out a bitter, harsh bark of laughter. "Guess I'm gonna see you sooner than I expected. I'm not going to get any older."

"That fucking Kabuto! If it weren't for this damn jutsu, I'd kill him right now!"

"He's controlling you?"

"Yeah! And the entire undead army! God, this is one messed up afterlife. Half his army are being forced to fight against their will while the other half don't give a shit as long as they get to kill someone," he cursed.

Deidara forced her to walk through damp cavern halls. The sound of dripping water echoed throughout the eerie silence as if cut off from the rest of the world. Each step Tukiko took sent a wave of agony coursing through her. The poison was doing its work-enough to the poing where she had to force her feet to continue walking.

"Which half are you in?" she couldn't help but ask. As long as she kept talking, she could ignore the pain to the best of her ability.

"...Don't know. I'm glad I'm able to walk this earth, yeah. I'm just not happy to work for those two. I thought working under Pain was bad enough. At least back then I could've denied any mission I wanted and do whatever I wanted, yeah. Under those two I can't do anything but listen to them and do whatever they say. And they're trying to use our kid as a weapon to create destruction."

She but her lip. "That's not the kind of life I want him to live in. I don't want him to be used as a tool for war. I wish...he would have been born during a different time."

"I know. It's hard," he sighed. "I've never even gotten a chance to hold my son, yeah. Being a weapon isn't something I want for him, either."

Tukiko suddenly laughed. "Look at you! Even if you're dead, you still care about Hotaru. I wish he could have known you when he's older."

"What can I say, hm? He's our kid. If anything, he might look like me but act like you."

"He has your hair, but he gets fickle if anyone but me holds him."

"Really? He's already showing that Uchiha possessiveness."

"Possessiveness? We just like to be near what we call our own," she justified. She couldn't help but smile. These conversations reminded her of a time where she was a lot happier when her friends and family were still alive. But now...Her smile faded. "Deidara?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry for everything. I'm really sorry I was so stupid to leave our son and got him caught up in this stupid war. If only he weren't born an Uchiha, he would be safe." If only SHE hadn't been born an Uchiha. Tukiko often wondered what her life would have been like should she not have been born into the Uchiha clan. Would she still be the same person she was today? Would her life be a lot happier? If she hadn't been born, maybe she wouldn't have to go through this entire ordeal and put her child at risk.

Deidara remained silent as he stopped in front of a steel door. He opened the door to reveal an dark empty room with stone walls and cold air seeping through everything. He pushed Tukiko roughly inside where she fell to the ground, unmoving. She had to bit her lip to the point of drawing blood as she landed her side. Her stomach and very veins burned unlike anything she's ever felt. Torture, she was used to. Bones being broken was nothing compared to the burning itch under her skin.

"I'm sorry, too," Deidara said, looking down at the mother of his child with anguish in his visible eye. "It's not your fault for making Hotaru born an Uchiha. It's mine for falling in love with one."

He turned around and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him. Both had heavy hearts full of guilt and both were worried for the child resting far away from his mother. They both had regrets of what they've done to force this fate on their child. It wasn't the child's fault for this. No, never. It would always be the parents' fault. It was Tukiko's fault for being born an Uchiha and Deidara for not only falling in love with one but also being a dead Akatsuki member. Deidara and Tukiko both wished they could do something, ANYTHING, to fix this mess. With the war going on and being controlled/imprisoned neither were able to do anything but wait and hope.

* * *

Tukiko wasn't sure how long she had been lying there on the cold, damp ground. It was hard to tell with the poison in her body distracting her from counting the passage of time. Her body refused to move, as she realized some time ago when she tried to get up and find a way out. Unfortunately, she couldn't manage to sit up much less stand on her own two feet. So, she could do nothing but lie on the ground hopelessly waiting for her end.

Her inner self raged at being able to do nothing. No! This wasn't the way she wanted to die! Her death during Pain's attack on her village forced her to acknowledge what she dreaded the most: choosing how she wanted to die. She realized that one of the ways she wanted to die was to sacrifice herself to protect those who mattered the most to her. It was one of the more honorable deaths for a shinobi of her stature. Lying on the ground waiting for death to embrace her to escape the bitter ache coursing through her blood was NOT the way she wanted to die. As of that moment her death would warrant nothing useful for her comrades. Her thoughts not only raged at being able to do nothing but wait and die slowly, but also lingered on Hotaru.

What would become of her son? Tukiko had no doubt her little boy would be safe in the protection of all the Shinobi villages. It was his future she was worried about. If she were to die, who would take care of him? Her friends would surely look out for him should she perish during this war, but what would he know of her? Of Deidara? He was the child of one of the last Uchiha and an Akatsuki member. What she didn't doubt was that years from now when people speak of this war people will slander the Akatsuki name in equivalent of the lowest scum on the bottom of their shoes. Shinobi who survive this war would know that Hotaru was also an Akatsuki member's son, because her name would be connected to betraying their village by fraternizing with the enemy. He would be treated the same way like Naruto was during his own childhood: with scorn and hatred for something beyond their control. Her friends would protect him to the best of their ability, but they couldn't protect him the way a parent could.

Tukiko didn't want to die just yet. She wanted to see her little boy grow into a fine young man. She wanted to raise him the way she didn't. She wanted to see him grow from a baby to a young man who held his head up high with pride and see him ask her for dating advice or how to propose. She wanted to see all of it before she died. Was that too much to ask for? But at this rate, she would be lucky if she could see his first birthday.

With all these thoughts whirling inside her head like a hurricane devastating the shore she wasn't surprised tears gathered in her eyes. She bit her lip, refusing those tears to fall past her eyes. She'd be damned if anyone saw her crying while awaiting her death. She had her pride, damnit! She refused her enemy the pleasure of looking at her corpse with the remnants of tears streaking her cheeks. They would love to see that she had given up on living, which was not how she wanted to be seen after dying. They would probably mock her friends by informing them she had given up on life and they should as well! Like she wanted her friends to remember her like that!

_I don't want to die!_ she screamed internally. She wanted to live. She wanted to LIVE!

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt the moment the door behind her was blasted ope. Tukiko opened her eyes, accidentally allowing her tears to slip through the corners of her eyes, as bright light filtered through the opening. As she was facing the door (earlier, one of her attempts to move at all was to roll onto her other side) she coughed as the dust from the explosion went into her lungs, causing the ache in her abdomen to bloom once more. Once the dust settled, a figure silhouetted through the darkness. Tukiko squinted at the figure, who began to step towards her. She held her breath, squeezing her eyes closed once more. A small part of her hoped someone was coming to rescue her while a large part of her screamed with alarm they were going to kill her and put her out of her misery. The footsteps came towards her in a determined, slow stride, stopping just next to her body. The rustle of clothing alerted her to the figure kneeling next to her as a cold hand touched her shoulder with an arm wrapping around them. She was forced into a sitting position, her inner self screaming in silent agony. Expecting a swift kill, she was surprised as something cold touched her lips and a liquid of some sort entering her mouth. Tukiko allowed herself to swallow it. What else could she do since she was already poisoned? She might as well make it worse.

To her imminent surprise the moment she swallowed it her aching veins began to calm themselves into a silent hum of relief. What in the world...?

"Geez...Imouto, you must really learn how to rescue yourself from such situations," said a familiar, low voice laced with amusement and exasperation.

Her eyes snapped open. No, it couldn't be...Her heart nearly leapt out of her throat seeing Itachi hovering above her. It returned to its usual place upon also noting the gray tint his skin had taken along. She frowned.

"Really? You're one to talk considering you couldn't rescue yourself from dying," she retorted. Her voice was rasp from the poison making her want to scream.

"At least I died an honorable death. I was not poisoned for my death."

"Yeah, but you were sick when you died. It's not honorable to die in battle if you fought while you were sick."

"Touche, Imouto," Itachi chuckled. He cast aside the small vial he had placed on her lips. He released her shoulders, allowing her to try to sit up on her own, which she was able to. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit, to be honest," Tukiko groaned. She shifted where she sat, wincing at the sting in her abdomen. Placing her hand there, her fingers quickly became slick with blood. "Okay. That hurt."

"You've lost quite a bit of blood." He eyed where she had previously been laying. A pool of blood had settled on her side and stained most of her clothes and skin on both sides of her torso. Her hair was also sticky with her blood. Shaking his head, he held out his hands to her abdomen. They began to glow green and the wound on her abdomen slowly began to close. Tukiko all but moaned in relief.

"Oh, God. I thought I was about to die and become part of the undead army," she thought aloud. Relief flooded her system. She wasn't going to die. Thank the Gods. However, a new thought popped into her head. "Wait a second. You're a part of the undead."

"I've noticed," he remarked, dryly.

"No, I mean you're a part of the Edo Tensei jutsu. How are you helping me when Kabuto's got you under his control?"

"Oh. I managed to break free from his control."

"What? How!?"

He finished healing the wound and tapped his eyes activated to his Sharingan.

She blanched out, slapping her forehead in aggravation.

"How did that-Why did-What CAN'T our eyes do?" she asked. Seriously, what was going on? Why did the Sharingan allow them to do the seemingly impossible? They could mess with time, space, reality, and create flames and nearly invincible armor. At this point she couldn't believe her eyes could even control the mightiest demon to do her bidding!

"Who knows?" He carried the same idea. Their Sharingan abilities were almost completely endless. It was both a shame and a relief no one else could utilize this power except for a few at this point in time. It was also a shame its powers were being used for evil by their other relatives. Only he and Tukiko used their Sharingan for good at this point.

"How did the Sharingan break Kabuto's control?" she continued questioning.

"It is a long explanation that has to do with Shisui's Sharingan. Don't ask," he advised. Her mouth dropped closed at her new barrage of questions. He grasped Tukiko's forearm to bring her to her feet as he stood. For a moment Tukiko swooned on her feet, her head suddenly going into twirl. He grasped her tightly. "Are you alright?"

"'M fine. Bloodloss." She shook her head. Like he said, she lost quite a bit of blood. "Can we get out of her now? I don't wanna stick around for Kabuto to try to kill me again."

"After I'm through with him, he will harm you no more." Itachi pulled on her arm to drag her out into the hallway. "Come. I must get you to safety before he realizes I am here. I was originally going to try fighting him until I overheard Tobi had captured you. I never expected Kabuto to poison you instead of outright killing you."

"Yeah, surprised me, too. I guess large egos can bring small mercies."

"Yes, it certainly is a mercy he poisoned you. I would have never been able to rescue you otherwise."

Once outside in the hall, he sped down it with Tukiko trailing not far from him. She tried to not let her exhaustion hinder her in her escape. She would not become a liablity to Itachi after he went through so much to find the antidote to the poison (how did he manage to get his hands on that?) and rescue her. Tukiko did ask where he got the antidote as Kabuto said only he had it. All she got was a curt, "I found it in one of the other rooms." She could ask no more as she followed Itachi through the hideout, and possibly for her way out to sanctuary.

* * *

**Yeah, I've got no excuses. Please enjoy this new chapter which I finally finished after nearly a year. **

**Review, please!  
**


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